


Infinite Love

by DiamantNoir



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Cupids, Dating, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Haechan goes on a few dates, Happy Ending, Human!Haechan, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Discovery, Slice of Life, Soulmates, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Strangers to Lovers, True Love, cupid!Mark, just an itty bit of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:40:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 34,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29609562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiamantNoir/pseuds/DiamantNoir
Summary: After Mark breaks a prominent Cupid rule–never mess with someone else's match–he's given a cold case as punishment.Over several lifetimes, Lee Donghyuck has never managed to keep a match and it's up to Mark to make that happen. Except, that's all well and good until things start to get a bit complicated and Mark's stomach starts to churn at the thought of pairing Donghyuck up with someone else.Of course, it can't be feelings because if there's one thing Mark knows, it's that Cupids can't fall in love.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 30
Kudos: 75





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So...this was supposed to come out on Valentine's Day. That clearly didn't happen.  
> I was having a really bad mental health episode that put me very far behind on everything, but I figure it's still Valentine's Day Month and so here it is!  
> It will be a three-parter. I don't know when Part Two and Three will be out, but I can't imagine you'll have to wait forever haha 
> 
> Happy Belated Valentine's Day, Lala! This one's for you <3
> 
> I hope you enjoy, everyone!

Love is infinite.

It’s a force of nature, unlike anything else. It can withstand anything if it’s believed in enough. It cannot be commanded, demanded, or even taken away. It’s bigger than life itself. It’s unlimited.

Love is also unpredictable.

It’s irrefutable. It cannot be controlled. One cannot simply dictate when they fall in love, how they fall in love, or even how to express it. Love decides. It decides everything. From the moment it appears to the moment it stops.

Love comes with no rule book.

It radiates fears and desires, wants and dreams. There is no schedule, no conditions. It brings people together just as much as it snaps people apart.

Love.

Older than time itself.

It’s precious. It’s terrifying. It’s…love.

It’s what everyone experiences.

Except cupids. 

*

Mark sighs, chin in his hand, as he watches the couple before him kiss for the first time. It’s been three weeks and he’s happy to report that his job is officially done. Anything after this, is their responsibility.

He slips off the brick wall separating the street from the beach and starts walking down the sandy pathway. It’s a pretty sort of place, he thinks as he eyes the sunset that casts a warm, golden glow over everything in sight. Kind of perfect for a first kiss. Sure, it’s a bit cliché, but love’s never really cared about clichés, so neither has Mark.

After a few thousand years, things have to be recycled. There’s no such thing as an original idea anymore.

The streets are relatively empty, but those that have stayed meander slowly around the shops that have begun to close for the night. There are friends, lovers, families. Mark passes each one, drifting through them like a ghost, unseen. Like love, he’s invisible to the naked eye. He sits on a different plane of reality, which allows him to move around as freely as he likes without anyone seeing or touching him.

He dodges a woman jogging by. She could go right through him, but it isn’t a fun sort of feeling. Everyone around him glows, their colorful auras pulsing around them. The brighter they are, the happier the person, Mark has come to learn. He can read them like the back of his hand; when they’re upset or pleased, but especially when they’re in love.

A couple walks by, hand in hand, beaming pink around the edges. Young love, Mark notes. Pure and sweet. One of his co-worker’s must have just put them together. Of course, there’s no way of knowing who. Cupids are everywhere, spread out around the world. Korea’s branch is already big enough, Mark can’t imagine what it would be like if every single cupid congregated in one spot. He doesn’t think it’s possible.

Not that he minds. Mark’s always done better on his own. He gets his assignments, does his job, and moves on. He knows the moment he gets back to HQ there will be another file on his desk. Probably someone who’s never experienced love before. That’s usually the cases he ends up with.

It’s fine, of course. New love is often interesting. It’s a blank slate. A little awkward and timid, but it means more time on the field and less time wondering why he’s still doing this after hundreds of years.

It isn’t like he hates his job. It has its perks. He gets to match people together, watch them fall in love in ways he won’t ever understand. Except, that’s also why he dislikes it. It’s the same tired thing over and over and he doesn’t understand. He doesn’t get it. Not completely, anyway. He knows what comes with it—beating hearts and fluttering stomachs and kindness and awkwardness—but he hasn’t ever experienced it himself. Just through the people he matches. It isn’t the same.

It’s not that he necessarily wants to experience it. He just wants to understand. Humans need love. They always have. That’s why cupids exist. Or so he’s been told. So, he knows to believe in love; in what it can bring and what it can do. For humans, at least. But, to a cupid, he’s at a bit of a loss.

He watches them fall in love day after day, repeating the same motions of meeting, being attracted, wanting, and then nervously fumbling until they get it right. For once, Mark would like something different to occur in his life that doesn’t require him to go through files all the time of people who are always the same story with slight, _slight_ variations.

Sometimes, Mark thinks he’s the only one that feels this way. No one else has expressed wanting something out of their normal routine. In fact, everyone seems so caught in their jobs that they don’t even think about it, if there’s more out there besides helping humans fall in love.

With a heavy sigh, he buries his hands in his pockets and continues to make his way down the street. The sun sits on the horizon, threatening to disappear and leave them all in the chill of the evening. As he goes, the people get sparser. It’s moments like these that Mark likes the most. The quiet ones where he doesn’t need to pay attention to someone else’s emotions.

However, as he turns the corner, his eye catches sight of a darker aura. A pungent red with hints of black. It’s in Mark’s nature to be on the look out for signs like this. It reads desperation and toxicity and bad. Just bad.

He isn’t supposed to do anything about it. He’s just supposed to take note and report. Yet, standing there at the edge of the street, he has a hard time leaving to do just that.

The man has his phone in his hands, hardly paying attention to the girl at his side. Everything off her is a mix of fear and frustration, the thought of losing the man she loves because she knows she already has. Mark can tell that much. The man hardly glances up at her and when he does, it’s nothing short of indifference.

Moving closer, Mark squints his eyes and there, right where their heart is, something pulses pink. The remanence of a cupid’s arrow. Clearly, they had been matched. Years ago, he would guess. True Loves, but not Soulmates. Which is pretty standard. Hardly anyone really matches with their Soulmate romantically. It’s usually platonic, and usually they never cross paths. Finding True Loves are easier when pairing up humans.

That being said, these two appear as though something’s gone wrong. Mark wonders if the man has met another True Love or if he really just doesn’t deserve the match that was made for him.

It happens occasionally, where a person takes the matches for granted and they don’t stick. Its why cupids don’t match everyone. They can’t. Humans are often fickle and even with their interference, things can happen.

Like this. A man, matched, yet looking at another for something he thinks his girlfriend can’t give him. Ridiculous, considering she can. She’s his True Love. She’s perfect for him. He just can’t see it anymore.

Mark frowns. He hates that. Humans, too quick to not believe in love, to swap out lovers as if they’re trading cards. Honestly, they have no idea what cupids go through to make a match. It’s a painstaking effort. It can take weeks, months, sometimes even years to make a match considered complete and this man has decided it just wasn’t worth it.

He knows he shouldn’t. He should just report it and let another cupid deal with it after careful deliberation, but Mark is here and he can do the job just as easily as any other cupid can.

So, he steps up to the man. He lets his eyes wander over his taller, broad-shouldered form. He’s handsome, probably has a good job judging by the expensive jacket and shoes, and he probably has enough people coming after him for something he shouldn’t be giving out. Mark grits his teeth.

“Bastard,” he grunts as he plunges his hand into the man’s chest. It’s warm and the glow around the man pulses. Mark’s fingers close around something sharp and he yanks his hand out, eliciting a gasp from the man that nearly makes him drop his phone.

Stepping back, he opens his hand to see the end of an arrow resting against his palm. He glances at the girl, who’s closed her mouth and hung her head as if giving up.

“You don’t need him,” Mark tells her as he holds out his other hand.

He lets his magic gently unwedge the arrowhead in her heart, slipping it free from her chest. He watches it drift to his open palm and lower silently into his grasp. She wouldn’t have felt a thing, except maybe a final note of sadness as the bond between them breaks. They won’t last much longer now that they’re no longer matched. He’d give it a few hours. Hopefully, another cupid will help her find someone else, someone better.

Clapping his hands together, the arrowheads smash before shattering into silver dust.

The moment it happens, Mark feels the chill slither down his spine. A voice in his head whispers, “Come back. Now.”

Sighing, Mark casts one last glance at the couple and snaps his fingers, vanishing from the street once and for all.

*

He reappears in the lobby. Wide and round, it carries up so far that it’s impossible to see the ceiling. Tall windows view out into clouds formed of white wisps. As the main room, cupids are always coming and going, disappearing and reappearing in a blink of an eye. Their shoes click along the marble floor.

Mark weaves his way toward the glass elevators, squeezing himself inside. The chatter around him buzzes in his ears as they shoot upwards and, by the time they come to a stop at floor 127, he’s blocked it out completely.

As he walks down the hallway, he digs his hands deeper into his slacks and realizes that, _yep_ , he’s in so much trouble. He can try to pretend that doesn’t bother him—and in a weird way, part of it doesn’t—but he’s never gotten a strike, never messed with someone else’s match. There are rules for a reason and Mark’s been at this for a very long time. He should know better.

But, as stated before, a small part of him doesn’t care. He _has_ been at this for ages. He should be able to do what he feels is right. That match felt anything but right.

Stopping at the door at the end of the hall, he knocks. A firm, “come in” echoes through the wood. Inside are two men, who turn to him the moment he steps over the threshold.

The light coming from the window casts a glow around Taeyong, who sits behind his desk. His white hair shines. It’s a complete contrast to his eyes, dark and endlessly deep. He straightens, gaze glued onto Mark as he stops in the middle of the room.

Leaning against the desk is Jaehyun. Handsome and broad. Mark’s heard some of the cupids whispering that Jaehyun was made from love itself. Mark thinks that’s a load of hogwash. Even if Jaehyun is perfection meant to be envied.

Pushing off from the desk, Jaehyun starts around Mark, shooting him a slight smile that’s probably meant to be comforting. “Good luck.”

“You aren’t staying?” he asks.

“I think,” Jaehyun glances back at Taeyong, “this is a talk for just the two of you.”

With that, he slips from the room. Taeyong leans forward, chin rested on linked fingers. After a moment, he gestures to one of the chairs and Mark takes the hint. He lowers himself into the cushions.

Mark would like to believe that Taeyong isn’t all that intimidating, especially after all these years of knowing him. He’s seen Taeyong smile, laugh, act like a child. He’s seen him comfort cupids with hugs and pats on the head. Not to mention, when he isn’t in boss-mode, he’s simply pretty. Unintimidating pretty. Then, of course, he slips into seriousness and his eyes get darker—somehow—and narrower. His features get sharper. It’s like a flip of a switch.

Yes, Mark would like to believe that Taeyong doesn’t intimidate him. But it would be a lie.

Taeyong’s been at this far longer than Mark has. Thousands of years. He’s their leader, their Head of HQ. He runs things. It’s hard not to be intimidated by that.

“I don’t even know what to say,” Taeyong starts, leaning back in his chair. “What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking, that man didn’t deserve that woman.”

Clicking his tongue, he says, “That isn’t your job. Your job is to make matches and if you see something, you report it. You don’t take matters into your own hands. Do you know how much paperwork I’m going to have to do now? Mark, you’re a senior field cupid. You know better.”

“I know that she was hurting. I could see it. That man was taking advantage of her love and I couldn’t just walk away,” he argues.

Taeyong presses the heels of his hands to his eyes and heaves a heavy sigh. Mark wants to feel bad. He just doesn’t. And after knowing him for so long, Taeyong must realize that.

“It can’t go unpunished,” Taeyong says, finally, after a thoughtful moment. “If I don’t punish you, someone will complain.”

“Who’s going to find out?” questions Mark. “We don’t have to tell anyone.”

“Mark, the moment you did that, the lab’s alarms went off. Everyone will know by the end of the day. They’re going to expect me to do something and so I’m going to do something.” He stands up and steps over to a filing cabinet where he slides out a drawer and starts flipping through files. “Honestly, I never would have expected you to break the rules.”

Glancing at his hands, he says, “I guess I just didn’t…”

“Care?” Taeyong pulls out a file and slams the drawer closed. Sitting at his desk, he studies Mark’s face. “I should have talked to you sooner. I knew something was going on and I never said anything. I’m sorry.”

Mark stills. “Why are you apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Well, I didn’t break the rules, but I certainly didn’t do my job. I could see you were going through something. _Are_ going through something.” His lips press into a thin line. “Mark, what’s going on in that head of yours?”

Worrying on his lip, he shakes his head. He isn’t even sure himself. He just doesn’t feel…right. Something hasn’t felt right in ages, but now it’s settling so deep inside him and Mark doesn’t know how to describe it. Lost, maybe? Bored?

Taeyong must sense his struggle because he gets up once again to sit in the chair beside Mark. “Do you not want to do this anymore? Maybe we can figure out a way to switch your job to something new or—”

“No,” he cuts in. “No, I don’t—I don’t want that. I just—I don’t know. It’s almost as if I’m just floating. Like nothing is tethering me anymore and I’m just doing file after file without any thought. I don’t even know the details of the last three couples I set up. It’s a blur. I can’t describe it.” He picks at the seam of his pants. “And then I came across that couple and, for once in my whole career, I just didn’t care about the consequences. I just did it. And I don’t regret it.”

“Maybe this will be a good thing for you, then,” says Taeyong as he reaches forward to grab the file he retrieved. “Maybe what you need is something a little different.”

Mark eyes the file. It’s a black folder with a picture pinned to the front. From upside down, he can tell it’s a boy with brown hair, but that’s all he gets before Taeyong flips it open and the picture vanishes.

“A cold case?” Mark inquires, shifting closer.

“A very cold case. Hundreds of years old. A boy, who not matter what, can’t be matched.”

Mark frowns. “That’s impossible.”

Most cold cases are of matchless humans, but only because their perfect match hasn’t been discovered within a certain amount of time. Most of them are solved within weeks, months, sometimes years. But not hundreds. That would mean multiple reincarnations. That’s…that’s not a thing. Cold cases are always solved within the human’s lifespan before they get a chance to be reborn.

He takes it from Taeyong’s hands to look at it.

“Lee Donghyuck,” he mutters. Something about that name feels strange. It rolls off his tongue effortlessly, like he’s said it once before. Except, looking at the picture, Mark knows he’s never met this boy in his life. “He’s been reborn eight times since his last known match? With none after that? How is that even possible?”

“Something happened in the 1400s that we think shifted him out of orbit with his matches. We tried desperately for years, but nothing stuck. I think,” he taps the picture, “you might have better success.”

“So, you just want me to match him?” Mark doesn’t think that sounds too much like a punishment. It sounds like his job, only slightly more challenging considering the matches, it seems, may not click as smoothly as they usually do.

“You’re going to do more than that. You’re going down there and befriending him.”

Mark blinks. “What?”

Heading back over to his desk, Taeyong says, “You’re going to be his new roommate. It’s already set up.”

“You want me to act like a human? Taeyong, I don’t—”

He holds up a hand, effectively shutting Mark up. “This isn’t a normal case. He’s been in that filing cabinet for far too long, never finding love no matter how many lifetimes he goes through. The best way of doing this is to get closer to him and really sus out the situation. So, yes, you’re going to be acting human for as long as it takes to match him. And, you’re getting this.”

Mark watches as he picks up something small from his desk. The moment the light touches it, it shines. A silver ring with a red jewel in the center.

“What is that?”

“This,” he says, holding it out for Mark to take, “is your new monitor. As a human, you don’t get the pleasure of whipping out whatever magical tricks you want. You have a limit now, so use your magic wisely.”

“You’re limiting my power? If this guy is as hard to match as you say he is, I’m going to need all the power I can get.”

“I really don’t think you will.” Something buzzes on his desk, drawing his eyebrows together. “This is your punishment. Yuta will take you there and your mission will begin.”

“What if I need help? What if I can’t do this?”

“Then, you can use some of your magic to come back and sort things out, but I think you can handle this. You’ve been at this long enough. Now, I have a meeting. Yuta’s waiting for you in the lobby.”

Frowning, Mark slips on the ring, grabs the file, and stomps over to the door. He’s thrown it open the moment Taeyong calls his name.

“Good luck,” he says. “I hope you find what you’re missing.”

Mark isn’t sure what he means, but he can no longer ask. Taeyong’s gone from behind the desk, taking all his cryptic ways with him.

Glancing down at the folder, he catches sight of the boy again. He appears young, the picture taken clearly this lifetime judging by the hair and the clothes.

“Well, Lee Donghyuck,” he murmurs, “let’s see if I can get you matched.”

*

“I’m so glad I’m not a human,” Yuta says from beside him, hands in his pockets as he scopes out the university quad.

There are so many people. Too many people, Mark thinks. They’re like ants, swarming and scurrying about as they try to locate where they’re going in the chaos that is Move-in Day.

Mark hates this. He hates all of it, especially when a girl rushes past him, shouldering him out of the way, and he can feel the hit. It’s odd to be seen and touched by humans. Lucky Yuta gets to remain invisible. _Eros_ , he wants to go home.

“Do you want me to come with you to the dorms?” asks Yuta.

A frown sets on his face. No, he doesn’t want Yuta to come with him because he’s hundreds of years old and can take care of himself. Still, he doesn’t know this place and doesn’t know these people and there’s an odd feeling settling in his stomach that he just can’t place, so he shrugs and—without moving his lips too much—says, “Whatever you want” and starts off into the crowd.

Unsurprisingly, Yuta follows close behind. He’s more eager than Mark to look around at the tall buildings and all the trees. He hones in on a group of students, checking out all the things they’ve lugged with them.

Mark didn’t bring much. Yuta had already packed a bag for him by the time he got to the lobby and he has no idea what’s in it. Probably more t-shirts and jeans that Mark was forced to wear before coming. It isn’t that he hates them, it’s just that they don’t feel right. He’s spent so long in a suit that it was like his second skin. Now, he just feels naked.

“You’re in that dorm,” Yuta tells him, pointing at one particularly short building. Square and made from yellow stone and nothing all that exciting. Mark doubts the inside is much better. “Second floor, room 201. From what I gather, Donghyuck’s always lived in the dorms and this is the first year his best friend’s decided to live off-campus.”

“Suspicious timing,” Mark notes. Yuta doesn’t reply.

Now, Mark’s used to a lot of people. HQ is full of thousands of cupids, but they’re never all together like this. It’s somewhat suffocating. It also doesn’t help that he can be touched. He hates that. He’s never liked the feeling of another person’s body parts touching his, especially a stranger’s. And it’s even worse inside the building.

The halls are small and people are loitering and bustling about; in and out of the door with their hands full of items and bags. Yuta hurries ahead, phasing through everyone while Mark struggles to swim upstream.

“Here,” Yuta says as he finally comes to a stop.

Mark doesn’t hesitate as he reaches over to knock on the door. He has his keycard. He could just open it without any kind of thought, but he has no idea if Donghyuck is inside and what he could be doing.

Besides, maybe he’s postponing things just a little bit.

It isn’t like he’s nervous. Not really, anyway. More like uncomfortable. He doesn’t want to be there and he would rather be doing something else than pretend to be human, befriend one of them, and then try to set him up with a limited amount of magic. Every part of him says that this isn’t what he’s supposed to be doing and that he should just go back to HQ and beg on his knees to not do this.

He wonders what would happen if he did. Would Taeyong send him back? Would he even make it that far with Yuta watching over him?

But he doesn’t get much time to think about it because the door is opening and he comes face to face with another boy. Lee Donghyuck looks nothing like his picture while also looking exactly like it, and Mark’s brain grinds to a halt in confusion.

The pictures on the files change depending on the person. If they cut their hair or dye it, if they get a little bit of surgery or if they’ve matured in the face. It shifts so that any cupid anywhere can locate them without a problem. So, Mark wonders why the picture of a curly, dark haired boy with slightly chubby cheeks and tanned skin isn’t what’s in front of him.

Lee Donghyuck has caramel hair. It’s straight, the fringe nearly falling into his eyes. Eyes that are round and a little golden around the pupils and placed in a face that has clearly matured and lost most of the baby-fat that used to reside there. He’s still tan, though Mark thinks it’s so much more golden in person than the picture captured.

How could the picture be so far off?

“Um, hi?”

Mark blinks, eyes snapping to Donghyuck’s and his ears heat a bit because, _Eros_ , he just had to stare, didn’t he? It’s so much easier to study someone when invisible and Mark is so used to it. So used to it that he kind of forgot and now Donghyuck’s looking back at him with his eyebrows just slightly furrowed and his cheeks a little pink.

“He’s pretty,” Yuta comments before slipping around Mark and straight through Donghyuck into the dorm.

A little struck, Mark starts to nods, but catches himself and clears his throat. He holds out a hand. “I’m Mark, your roommate.”

Donghyuck’s lips part, like a lightbulb has just flicked on, before smiling and shaking Mark’s hand. Wow, he’s definitely pretty, which makes Mark wonder as to why he doesn’t have a crowd of people after him.

“Oh, sorry. Donghyuck,” he says, pointing to himself after he lets go of Mark’s hand. “Nice to meet you.” His eyes cast down to the bag Mark’s carrying. “Do you need help bringing in your things?”

“No, this is it.”

For a second, he looks surprised. “That’s it?”

“Yes.”

When Donghyuck shifts out of the way, Mark shuffles inside. Yuta is running out from one bedroom to the other. A small bathroom is off to the side and the kitchenette is a workable size. Although, it’s filled with items that have yet to be put away.

“You just brought one bag? Do you have a computer?”

Mark turns to him, tilting his head. “Computer?”

“A laptop?” Donghyuck says, slowly. “You know, for classes. Or are you one of those people with an insane memory?”

“Um, yeah, that.”

Donghyuck frowns even more, though mostly out of more curiosity. “You’ve been memorizing classes for how long? How old are you? You’re not a first year, are you?”

Humans, he thinks, ask too many questions.

“Twenty-one,” Yuta says as he steps out of the bathroom. “You’re twenty-one. Third Year.”

“I’m twenty-one,” says Mark. “Third Year.”

“Oh.” His furrowed brows ease. “I’m a year younger. It seems odd for a Third Year to not have a laptop.”

“I have one,” he blurts.

Donghyuck scans him, arms crossing. “Do you?”

“It’s getting, um, repaired.”

“Oh, I see,” he says at the same time Yuta tells him, “I didn’t give you a laptop.”

Mark figured he didn’t. But he thinks he can spare a bit of magic to formulate one. Maybe. If not, he’s going to have to ask for some help.

“Um, anyway,” Donghyuck continues. “Your room is on the right. Let me know if you need anything, I guess.”

“Thank you,” he replies as he wanders to the room Donghyuck pointed out.

It’s not anything amazing. A double bed, a singular window, an okay-sized desk and a closet. It makes him miss his apartment back at HQ. When he turns back, Donghyuck seems to have disappeared back into his room. Mark closes the door.

“Well, he isn’t what I expected,” Yuta says, collapsing back on the bed. “I mean, I saw the picture, but yeah.”

‘But yeah’ is right. Mark isn’t really sure what to make of the whole situation. Donghyuck doesn’t seem like a terrible person. Maybe a bit more curious than he’d like, but otherwise fine.

“He hasn’t matched? Ever?” Mark questions as he drops the bag on the bed and unzips it. The folder sits on top. Carefully, he flips it open so Yuta can look, as well. “It looks like he’s been in quite a few relationships over his lifetimes, but they never last that long. Some of them die, some of them break up with him or he breaks up with them. Even the ones he starts on his own without us.”

He goes back to the first achieved lifetime and frowns. There’s only one relationship and the name of his partner isn’t there. That’s not abnormal. Some of their files are so old that some things slip through the cracks, like names or dates. It doesn’t even tell Mark if it’s a Soulmate or True Love. But right next to the words ‘Match #1’ is ‘deceased’. One relationship in a whole lifetime—a lifetime, it seems, that didn’t last very long. Donghyuck died at twenty-five.

But his next life has seven matches, and his next even more. It isn’t until his fourth lifetime that the matches stop and the word ‘Match’ is replaced with ‘Partner’. That must have been around the time they put his file away to never return to again and Donghyuck had to make do on his own.

Lifetimes without any kind of solid love.

“This isn’t going to be easy,” he mutters.

Yuta nods. “Well, that’s why it’s a punishment. But I highly doubt Taeyong would have given you this mission without believing you could do it, and Donghyuck seems nice enough. He should be easy to match up.”

“That doesn’t seem to be the issue. The issue is keeping them,” Mark says, jabbing at the file. It’s then he notices a line under Donghyuck’s current lifetime. “Wait, he’s in a relationship, right now. Why am I here if he’s in a relation—”

He meets Yuta’s eye and his heart sinks.

“When?”

Yuta replies, “No idea. Taeyong says it’ll be soon, though. He came down to check on Donghyuck before he set you up. It didn’t look like it was going well.”

Tilting his head back to look at the ceiling, Mark sighs. While he may not know what True Love feels like, he can empathize just fine. He can’t imagine what it would be like to lose it over and over again. Donghyuck must be a strong person to keep going after so many hiccups. Even if he doesn’t necessarily remember them all.

“What if I can’t do this? What if I can’t make a match? Yuta, everyone deserves someone and this kid hasn’t had that for lifetimes.”

“Hey,” he whispers, shifting closer to take Mark’s shoulders. It’s only then Mark really notices that he’s become corporeal. “You’ll do fine. If anyone can do this, it’s you. Your track record proceeds you. And Jaemin and I will check on you when we can. If you need something, call out.”

“I’m not supposed to get help.”

Yuta smirks. “What Taeyong doesn’t know won’t hurt him. We’ve got your back, kid.”

Mark opens his mouth to reply when a knock comes at his door. He spins around as Yuta’s hands slip right through him, going invisible, and shifts so that he’s in front of the open file. The door opens a crack and Donghyuck sticks his head in.

“Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you were all set or needed anything?”

“Eros,” Yuta breathes. “You’ve scored in the nice roommate department, haven’t you?”

Ignoring him, Mark says, “I’m all right. Thank you.”

Donghyuck gives a small nod before his eyes zero in on the bed. His heart skips a beat, thinking that Donghyuck’s definitely noticed the file.

“Did you not bring sheets?” he asks.

Mark blinks. “Sheets?”

“For the bed,” he says.

“Oh, I…” He glances at his shoulder, looking to Yuta for help, but he isn’t there anymore. He’s vanished and all Mark can think is _Traitor_. “I guess I forgot?”

It appears as if Donghyuck’s biting his lower lip just to keep from smiling. “Just a sec.”

When he disappears, Mark twists around to close the file and shove it back into his bag, zipping it up for good measure. He’s just got it closed when Donghyuck comes back with two folded blankets in his arms.

“Here.” He holds them out for Mark to take. They’re soft. “You can borrow them. It gets kind of cold in the dorm most nights and you’re going to need something to sleep with, right?”

Mark isn’t sure what to say or think, other than that he wishes he had come more prepared. He knows there must be something in his bag that’ll set him up for the night. He doubts Taeyong would just give him clothes and leave it at that. Even still, he definitely wasn’t expecting Donghyuck to be so…Well, nice. Not that he was expecting him to be evil or rude. Just not so accommodating, not the kind of person to offer a complete stranger blankets.

“So, um, where are you from?” Donghyuck asks, hovering by the doorway as if he’s too nervous to actually step inside.

Well, that hadn’t been decided. Mark hates that they tossed him in without any sort of plan. “C-Canada,” he stumbles. “I’m from…Canada.”

Donghyuck’s eyebrows shoot up. “Really? That far? I guess that kind of explains the limited bags. Did you go there over break or something?”

“Yeah, I just got back today.”

“Isn’t the flight, like, ridiculously long. You must be exhausted.”

“I guess?”

Eros, he needs to get his act together. He won’t be able to do this unless he’s comfortable and actually makes friends with Donghyuck. Instead, he’s just incredibly awkward. Humans—especially humans like Donghyuck—are apparently terrifying, he’s come to find. Mark has been so used to not being seen that, now, he isn’t sure what to do with all the attention.

“I’ll leave you to rest then,” Donghyuck says. “Maybe we can order a pizza tomorrow and hang out?” Mark raises a brow. “It’s just that, well, I lived with my best friend last year and I kind of want to at least get along with you. Of course, if you don’t want to, I won’t force you. You probably have friends already and—”

“I don’t.”

Donghyuck stops. “I’m sorry?”

“I don’t,” he repeats, quietly. “Have friends, that is. Here, I mean. I’d really like that, Donghyuck. Thank you.”

He’s amazed how quickly Donghyuck’s cheeks go red. “Oh, um. Okay. Yeah. Sounds like a plan. We’ll hang out tomorrow and you can rest and yeah. Um, I’ll just—”

A loud ring echoes around the room and Donghyuck jumps, scrambling to pull his phone from his pocket. He presses it to his ear with an apologetic smile directed at Mark.

“Yeah? Oh, hey—Yeah, of course—Okay, I’ll see you soon—Bye, I lo—” His voice cuts off, suddenly, and he pulls the phone from his ear to look at it. Clearly, whoever was on the other end, hung up. Donghyuck takes a moment before glancing back at Mark and smiling. It’s strained. “Um, that was…Anyway, I’ll be out for a bit. I’ll see you later tonight or maybe tomorrow morning. But we’ll hang out, okay? Feel free to dig around the stuff in the kitchen if you need anything. I’ll see you later.”

Mark nods. “Yeah, sounds good.”

Donghyuck leaves fairly quickly after that. He throws on a coat, pockets his wallet and phone, gives Mark a wave coupled with a small smile, and disappears from the room. It’s only then that all the muscles in his shoulders relax. Dropping onto the bed, he puts his face in his hands and groans.

He’s not even sure where to begin, though he thinks maybe acting like a human may help. Of course, he’s never been human. He’s never felt the emotions they do, never lived they way they do, and now he’s so lost. Sure, he’s observed and he kind of knows what to do in order to get reactions, but he’s only ever done that to make people fall in love. He doesn’t really know where to start with platonic relationships in the human world.

Perhaps, he thinks, they aren’t so different from what he experiences back at HQ. Then again, humans take their friendship in all kinds of ways. Mark and the other cupids get along because they have to. There’s no fighting, no drama. They simply understand everything a cupid means and do their jobs. Humas are so fickle when it comes to friends.

And not only does he need to get close to Donghyuck, he needs to act like a university student and he has no idea what what’s like.

Well, first thing’s first, he needs to know what Taeyong sent with him.

He tugs the bag closer and starts unloading it. A charm’s been placed on it, making the inside much bigger than it originally looked, so besides the file he already knew was in there, he finds a wardrobe of clothes of various kinds, a few pillows, a comforter and some fitted sheets, as well as a cell phone.

Mark’s never owned a cellphone. While cupids have their own technology, he’s never touched anything belonging to the human world. Their devices always look so complicated. So many buttons or icons. He turns the phone over in his hand and presses one of the buttons on the side.

“Hello, my name is Bixby.”

He startles and tosses the phone to the end of the bed. Oh, sweet Aphrodite, they just had to make them talk.

Leaving the small device very far away from him, Mark reaches into the bag to see if there’s more. There’s a bag of toiletries and a note.

_I know this will be difficult, but I trust you can do this. Please, don’t think too hard. Do what you can and that will be more than enough. I also know Jaemin and Yuta will be keeping an eye out for you. Let them know if anything goes wrong or if you need to pass on a message._

_Taeyong_

_P.S. Your major is Human Relations and your schedule is programmed into your phone_

A heavy sigh leaves him as he places the note back into the bag. He knows Taeyong doesn’t mean to add more pressure, but it feels like it’s pressing him down into the bed. No matter what, he needs to succeed.

First, though, he needs a laptop because, apparently, no one thought of that.

Flipping his hand over, he looks down at the ring on his finger. The gem is bright red, glowing, and so full of magic that he can feel it. A little bit won’t harm him.

Mark sits cross-legged on the bed and rubs his hands together. He’s never been particularly good at summoning, but he can manage. It takes a couple of tries until his fingertips tingle and a box appears in the air, dropping heavily in front of him.

It takes him a minute to get it open and pull out the laptop inside. It’s lighter than he expected it to be. Most of his things are somewhat like human holograms, light and airy magic. This is all metal and bulk, yet strangely doable in weight.

He opens the top and there are…so many buttons.

“Pothos, Imeros, and Anteros,” he curses under his breath. “Why do they make things so complicated?”

As much as he doesn’t want to, he knows he needs to know these things, even if it means taking all night to learn it all. So, he takes out the instructions, settles into the pillows, and starts reading.

*

He hears the door to their dorm open and slam closed around midnight. Still wide-awake and trying desperately to figure out his ridiculous phone, Mark can hear everything. The way Donghyuck kicks off his shoes and hurries to his room before closing that door as well. Through the thin wall, he hears a sniffle. Then, a broken sob as if it were being stifled.

Mark tenses.

Crying. Donghyuck is crying. In the room next door.

He’s not entirely sure he should go to him, if he should try. They’ve only just met and Mark isn’t sure how Donghyuck would react to being found out he’s sobbing in his bed the first day they’ve introduced themselves.

However, Mark doesn’t like the sound. He never has. Crying has always made him uncomfortable, always wanted to stop it. Smiles and laughter is better on all accounts. He thinks most cupids and humans alike would agree.

Clearly, Donghyuck’s not trying to be loud, but the dorm is so quiet that any small sniff cuts through the wall between them. Mark has seen enough of his charges cry, though he’s happy to admit that most of them were happy tears. Unfortunately, matching doesn’t always go smoothly. Mark can point them in the right direction, but he can’t control them. Sometimes, there are bumps in the road that end up with annoying misunderstandings that leave one or the other bawling their eyes out.

So, Mark pockets his phone and exits his room as quietly as he can. The closer he gets to Donghyuck’s door, the more he thinks this may be a mistake. Donghyuck is obviously upset and why would he want Mark anywhere near him? One wrong move and he’s sent himself back in his mission.

Even still, he can hear the shuffling and the sniffling and the gasping and Mark knocks softly on the door before turning the knob.

“Donghyuck?”

From the bed, Donghyuck startles. He twists around to glance over his shoulder. He’s most definitely crying, eyes and nose red and cheeks shiny with tears. At least he still looks nice when he cries, Mark thinks. He’s seen some ugly criers before.

“Oh, Mark,” he says, voice a little rough around the edges. He quickly wipes at his eyes with the sleeves of his sweater. “Did I wake you?”

He shakes his head and steps farther into the room. “I haven’t gone to bed yet. You, um, okay?” His own question nearly makes him wince because, no, Donghyuck clearly isn’t okay.

“Yeah,” Donghyuck says a little too quickly. “Yeah, I’m fine. I, uh—I’m sorry if I was too loud. Sometimes I forget that someone new is in the dorm with me. Renjun always had headphones in or just learned to tune me out.”

“It’s fine,” he insists. “It’s just…Do you want to talk about it?”

Rubbing at his nose, Donghyuck turns back around, his shoulders quaking until another sob escapes. Mark glances behind him—as if someone will be there—and takes a chance. He closes the door behind him and moves over to the bed to sit next to Donghyuck. He doesn’t touch him. They don’t know each other that well. But he’s close enough to at least _be_ there.

“I’m so sorry,” Donghyuck gasps as he reaches for a tissue box that sits on the floor with a few of his unpacked things. Mark is closer, so he grabs it and passes it over. “Thank you. God, this is such a bad first impression. I’m so sorry.”

Mark frowns. “Why are you apologizing? You’ve done me no wrong. But clearly someone’s done you one.”

The laugh he gets is a little humorless and a lot watery. “I’m pathetic.”

“What?”

“I…” Voice trailing off, he looks over to Mark. There’s something vulnerable in his gaze, and not just because he’s crying so openly. “I have a boyfriend.” A pause. “Or had one, I guess. He broke up with me.”

Oh, that’s the vulnerability. He supposes Donghyuck expects him to dislike the fact that he was with another boy. Mark doesn’t care. He’s set up all kinds of matches and most of them weren’t straight.

Frown deepening, he helps Donghyuck open the tissue box because his fingers are shaking too much, and says, “Did he hurt you?”

Donghyuck stills, eyes round. “No. No, he didn’t. He just decided I wasn’t worth it, I guess. Invited me out to a fancy restaurant and broke up with me during the dessert.”

“Sounds like an asshole,” he finds himself saying and it earns him a snort.

“I guess it kind of was an asshole move. I don’t know,” he sighs. “Maybe I should just give up. I don’t exactly have the best track record.”

Something in those words make Mark’s heart clench. “Give up?”

“On finding someone,” he clarifies after blowing his nose. “I mean, most of the people I’ve ended up with have been either using me to experiment, want to make me something I’m not, or just decide to leave after things finally start looking good. Honestly, at this point, it seems pretty pointless.”

Mark knows Donghyuck’s past relationships, a mix of boys and girls that have never lasted that long. After a while, he could see how that would take a toll on someone and their perspective on love. But love isn’t something that’s simply handed to you. People need to work for it, to go out of their way to seek it.

Seeing Donghyuck so down isn’t a fun sight. Mark doesn’t think anyone’s broken views on love has ever made him feel so sad.

“I don’t think you should,” he says. “You’ll find someone. I know you will.”

“Do you? Mark, no offence, but you don’t even know me. For all you know, I could be a horrible person and that’s why I keep getting dumped.”

“Doubt that. No horrible person would give a complete stranger their blankets. You’ve been nothing but nice despite the fact that I have been extremely awkward.”

Donghyuck chuckles. “Just a bit. It’s kind of endearing, though.”

Blinking, he asks, “Is it?”

A little stunned, Donghyuck’s eyes go wide. “I wasn’t hitting on you.”

“Okay.”

“No, I’m serious.”

Mark nods, not sure why he seems so defensive about it. “Really, it’s okay.”

Deflating, Donghyuck stares down at his hands. After a moment, he mutters. “I’m so done with all of this. I don’t get what I’m doing wrong. I’m obviously messing up something.”

“Maybe they just aren’t your right match,” he puts in. Because they aren’t. None of them have been.

“Don’t tell me you’re one of those people that believes in soulmates and true love and fate,” Donghyuck says, a small smile tugging at his lips. At least he isn’t crying, he thinks. “I would have never expected that.”

“What’s wrong with believing in fate or true love? There are worse things to believe in.”

“I guess.”

“And I think that there are people out there meant for each other,” he continues. “Matches that work on a different kind of level. Who knows, maybe someone will surprise you.”

Donghyuck meets his gaze, tears still clinging to his eyelashes and nose still red from blowing. A passing throught crosses Mark’s mind, but he shoves it down before it can fully form. Instead, he offers a small smile.

Donghyuck coughs a laugh. “You’re really into this, aren’t you?”

“I think not believing in love is one of the worst things a human can do. Sometimes, you just have to wait for it to cross your path. It can’t be rushed.”

“Well, after so many years I’m getting impatient. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever find someone.” He smiles a little bitterly. “Sometimes I wonder if there’s anyone out there, at all. Or if I’m just meant to be alone.”

“I think there’s a chance for you yet, Lee Donghyuck. You’ll meet your special person, and when you do, you’ll wonder why you ever thought those things in the first place.”

Whether he does it without thinking or not, Donghyuck reaches over to take Mark’s hand and give it a squeeze before releasing him. Mark jolts at the contact, at how warm it is. It makes his stomach flip.

“Thank you,” Donghyuck says, tone soft and quiet. Almost a whisper. “I appreciate it. You didn’t need to come check on me.”

“It seemed like the right thing to do.”

Rubbing at his eyes again, he groans. “And I probably look like such a mess, right now. I should probably shower, and I think there’s a tub of ice cream in the freezer that I might just eat through the night until this is all over. You should go to bed.”

“I’ll probably be up for a bit longer,” he says. “I’m, uh—Actually, if you’re going to be awake for a while and want a distraction, could you help me with something?”

“Sure. I mean, I kind of owe you after this,” Donghyuck jokes. “What’s up?”

Mark digs into his pocket and pulls out his phone. “Can you show me how to use this? I pressed a button and it talked to me and I have no idea how this thing works.”

The expression he gets is more wide, round eyes and lifted eyebrows, and Donghyuck looks back at him as if he’s grown a second head. “New phone?”

“Yeah.”

“Um, yeah, okay. Sure.” He takes the phone from Mark’s hands and shuffles a bit to get more comfortable. With a press of a button, the screen lights up.

“Also, how are you with laptops?” When Donghyuck frowns, Mark adds, “Best not to ask.”

Slowly, Donghyuck’s face shifts. His eyes soften and he lets out an airy laugh that fills the room. “You’re just full of surprises.”

“I guess.”

For just a moment longer, Donghyuck studies his face and Mark doesn’t know what he’s looking for, but he must have found it because he glances back at the phone, clears his throat, and moves a little closer until the warmth of his body seeps into Mark’s side.

“Okay, while you set this up—just follow the instructions—I’m going to go get ice cream,” he says, pressing another button before holding it out for Mark to take.

He nods. Glancing down at it, he frowns. “Um, what’s an email?”

Donghyuck blinks. “I can see that this is going to take longer than expected. I’ll grab two spoons.”

He hurries from the room and Mark watches him go. He’s heartbroken, Mark can still see that. The glow around him is dim and dark. But there’s a spark there that shines through and, despite it all, Donghyuck is holding on.

If there’s anything he’s learned, it’s that Donghyuck is much stronger than anyone expects him to be. Lifetimes of relationships ending and restarting. He pulls through each time, takes them all in stride. Even if—as if he can feel those lifetimes of heartbreak suddenly piling up—he wants to stop, he keeps going. Mark thinks any soul would start to become frail and tired at this point.

And, yet, Donghyuck walks back into the room, nose still pink and ice cream and two spoons in his hands, and grins. “Okay, let’s do this.”

Mark can’t stop himself from smiling back. Who, he wonders, in their right mind, would give up someone so bright and resilient? Well, it doesn’t matter. Mark will find someone befitting of Donghyuck, and he’ll make sure this one lasts.

*

Being friends with Donghyuck comes more naturally than he expects it to. Between bonding over Mark’s inability to handle human technology and finishing off a tub of ice cream, something clicked. He finds himself easily talking to Donghyuck whenever they get a chance, or hanging out at the library between classes, and, well, it’s strange.

From the beginning, he’s known his mission was to get closer to Donghyuck, to make friends and really pay attention to who he is and what he might need in a partner. He just didn’t expect it to happen so easily. He expected a little more resistance, maybe? Sometimes, at the end of the day, while they’re chilling on Donghyuck’s bed and watching a movie, he realizes that their friendship sort of just fell in his lap.

He supposes the best part about it is that Donghyuck doesn’t question his oddities and strange questions. He just laughs and does what he can to help. And if that hasn’t freaked Donghyuck out, Mark isn’t sure what can. Donghyuck tends to take things in stride, lets things roll off his back.

And, luckily, he hasn’t had to use any magic since the whole laptop incident. Granted, it isn’t like he’s really been trying. In order to seem like a student, he needs to act like one. Which means going to class and doing the work and trying desperately not to make Donghyuck think something is up. That, of course, means that he hasn’t really been trying to help Donghyuck find a match.

It isn’t like he doesn’t want to. He does. But Donghyuck’s been through a break-up and the start of school happened and Mark needs Donghyuck to trust him. It’s a lot more work than he was planning for it to be, so by the time something pops up, they’re already into month two and midterms are finally over.

Mark makes it back to the dorms just after his final midterm to find music blasting and Donghyuck leaning over the bathroom sink to fix his hair. For once, he isn’t in casual jeans and t-shirts, or oversized joggers and sweatshirts. Instead, he’s in tight-fitted black pants with rips at the thighs and a silk dress shirt that’s partly tucked in and a little too open at the top to reveal his collarbones. Mark finds himself staring for a bit longer than he should and startles the moment Donghyuck spots him.

He beams. “Hey!” There’s a brush of shimmer across his eyelids and Mark is pretty sure he has eyeliner on. “You’re back.”

“Are you going somewhere?” he asks. Suddenly, his throat feels a little dry, though he isn’t sure why. Nothing is dry about summer heat.

“We’re going out,” replies Donghyuck as he moves over to the kitchen table to hop on top of it. “You remember Renjun?”

Mark’s never met Renjun. He’s only ever heard of him. “Your old roommate.”

“Yeah, so his new roommate is throwing a party tonight to celebrate the end of midterms and we’re going.”

“You keep saying ‘we’re’. Who else is going?”

A smirk crosses his lips and Mark’s known Donghyuck long enough to know that’s never a good sign. “You and me.”

Everything halts. More people? No. Absolutely not. Mark doesn’t even like going on campus or class. He isn’t going to a party. Nope.

“I don’t think—”

Donghyuck jumps off the table to take his hands. His eyes go impossibly round. “Please, Mark? It’ll be a lot of fun, I promise. And you can finally meet Renjun. And Jeno and Lucas, too! They want to meet you.”

“Why?”

He laughs. “Because they want to know the guy I’m living with? And, for some reason, they think you sound cool.”

“Yeah, that’s a lie. I’m awkward. Not cool.”

“See, I told them that, yet they still want to meet you.” By the smile on his face, Mark can tell he’s only teasing. “Please, come with me. I promise it’ll be fun.”

Mark finds himself agreeing a lot faster than he should. It’s nearly impossible to fight off the puppy-dog eyes Donghyuck throws at him, which is ridiculous because they’re just eyes. They shouldn’t affect him so much.

And this is how Mark finds himself standing in the middle of a crowded room, music playing on a level that can be heard over the chatter, but still acceptable for an apartment building, and his pants just a little too tight in order to ‘immerse himself’ as Donghyuck told him the moment he passed them over.

Taeyong probably didn’t think about university parties or clubs when he packed Mark’s bag. So, the vast majority of his items are very casual. Donghyuck, of course, wouldn’t let him go in his usual t-shirt and jeans and ended up raiding his own closet. Luckily—or unluckily—they aren’t that far off in size. Donghyuck’s legs are a little longer and maybe a little thicker, but that’s about it. In the back of his closet, Donghyuck finds his ‘smaller’ pair of pants. Mark wonders how he fits into them when they practically squeeze at his legs.

He has half a mind to try to use his powers and make himself invisible as Donghyuck leads him through the crowd toward three boys standing at the window. The moment Donghyuck is close enough, calling for their attention, they all turn to greet him.

“Hey, sunshine’s arrived!” the taller of the three yells, reaching forward to grab Donghyuck around the waist and pick him up in a bear hug.

Donghyuck smacks at the boys back, laughing. “Lucas! Lucas, put me down!”

Mark watches as the tall boy—Lucas—drops Donghyuck back onto his feet and ruffles his hair. A whine escapes Donghyuck and he slaps away Lucas’ hands to fix his hair.

“Dude, don’t touch my hair!”

“You’re such a diva,” one of the other boys says. He’s shorter, his eyes a little sharper. Mark tenses when those eyes land on him. “Oh, you brought a friend.”

Removing his hands from his hair, Donghyuck throws an arm around Mark’s shoulders and drags him closer to the group. “Guys, meet Mark, my roommate. Mark, this is Lucas, Jeno, and Renjun.”

Renjun ends up being the boy with the sharp eyes. Jeno, the one that hasn’t spoken yet, is a boy with a soft smile and handsome face. He’s also the only one that reaches forward to shake Mark’s hand.

“I’m so sorry,” Jeno tells him.

Mark tilts his head. “Why?”

“Having Hyuck as a roommate—”

“Hey!” Donghyuck shouts. “Don’t be rude. I’m a perfectly good roommate. Right, Injunnie?”

Renjun raises a brow. “Hm. I guess you weren’t the worst.”

“You wound me.”

“And you annoy me.”

With their words, Mark would think they didn’t like each other, but Renjun’s gaze is soft and Donghyuck smiles, so, perhaps, they do in a very odd way. Humans are so strange.

“So, Mark,” Renjun says, “luckily, you don’t need to tell us much about yourself because Donghyuck’s done all the work.”

When Mark glances at Donghyuck, he finds him gazing down at his shoes. “Oh. Good things, I hope?”

“All good, which is odd because Donghyuck always finds something to complain about,” Jeno says and Donghyuck tries to kick him.

It’s nice to see him with his friends. He’s a little more carefree, a little more chaotic. Finally, Mark’s starting to see all sides of him and he doesn’t dislike any of them. He knows Donghyuck is quick to quip, sometimes a little blunt and skeptical, and he’s nice. He’s effortlessly nice to Mark, always asking if he wants to go out shopping with him, or if he’s eaten, or how he’s handling school. With his friends, he’s all that, but also a little wild. Maybe, Mark should have seen that coming.

“So, you’re from Canada?” asks Renjun.

“Yeah,” he lies. “I have family here and just decided to finish up my post-secondary here.”

Renjun’s eyes narrow, slightly. “What an odd choice.”

“Not really,” Donghyuck puts in. “People do it all the time. Lucas did.”

“Lucas’ family moved here after he graduated high school and he decided to stick around,” Renjun says. “He could have gone anywhere.”

“And, man, I’m glad I stayed,” says Lucas, grinning as he swings his long arms around Donghyuck and Jeno to yank them close. “I got to meet you guys. Hey! Drinks! You need drinks!”

“Kitchen?” Donghyuck asks. When they nod, he takes Mark’s hand and starts tugging him away. “We’ll be back!”

A thin wall separates a small kitchen from the living room. Too many people are clustered inside, but Donghyuck elbows his way through to the counter where bottles and cups are collected there.

“Sorry about them,” Donghyuck says. “They like to embarrass me.”

“They seem nice. How did you meet them?”

“I’ve known Jeno since elementary school and we met Renjun in high school. Lucas I met last year, actually. Renjun met him first, in one of his classes, and, since then, we haven’t been able to get rid of him.” He grabs one of the cups and passes it to Mark before grabbing his own. “What do you want?”

Mark stares at the selection. “What is it?”

“What—” Donghyuck’s lips part. Then he shakes his head. “You’re full of surprises. Here.” Mark lets him take his cup and fill it. Smiling, he says, “This, my friend, is vodka.”

He sniffs it first. It’s not a strong smell. Taking a chance, he sips it. Immediately, the bitterness settles on his tongue and his throat burns. His nose scrunches up as Donghyuck laughs.

“I don’t like that,” he says. “That’s awful.”

“You’ll get used to it. Eventually, it starts tasting like water,” Donghyuck says as he slips around Mark to exit the kitchen.

Mark gawks. “That sounds completely unhealthy!”

All he hears is Donghyuck’s laughter, leaving him behind with strangers. One couple has decided the stove is a good place to make out and Mark steps away. He tries one more sip of his drink, but it burns worse the second time, so he puts it on the counter with a frown.

“So, this is what you’ve been up to for the last two months,” a voice says from behind him. “And here we thought you would actually want to finish up the mission and come home.”

Spinning around, heart pounding in his chest, Mark comes face to face with two people he least expected to see at an apartment party. Yuta waves while a girl walks right through him. Beside him, another with bright pink hair and dark eyes crosses his arms and shakes his head.

“You—” he starts to say before realizing Yuta and Jaemin can’t be seen by anyone around him and he would really rather not look like he’s talking to air. He grunts, “Come on.”

Right now, he needs an empty room or a bathroom, but just as he turns the corner, he bumps into Renjun.

“Oh, hey, Donghyuck ditched you?”

“I think he thought I was following him and I was, but—” He stops. “Can I use your bathroom?”

Renjun nods. “Yeah, it’s down the hall. Last door on the left.”

“Thank you.”

Hurriedly, he dodges the people into the bathroom. He slams the door behind him and leans against it. Yuta sits on the edge on the bathtub and Jaemin gives the toilet a look before stepping away.

“What are you doing here?” he demands.

“Checking in on you, obviously.” Jaemin rolls his eyes. “Who knew you’d just be chilling and getting drunk with university kids. Mark, I thought you were better than that.”

There’s a teasing lilt to his tone and Mark shakes his head at it. Jaemin became a cupid about a hundred years after he did. It was Mark who trained him on the field, so they’re decently close. Jaemin knows who Mark is and how serious he is about his work. Seeing him at a party probably breaks a lot of images Jaemin’s built of Mark over the years.

Still, there’s a reason for it all. Mark knows that. But why does he still feel guilty?

“I can’t just match him,” he states. “This kid needs all the help he can get, which means I’m going to have to do things I don’t normally do. Like, get close to him and go to parties. I need to learn about him to find out where the issues are.”

“Mark, it’s been two months. Have you even found a match?” Yuta asks.

Shuffling his feet, Mark says, “Not really. No. But I haven’t really had time. Things have been a little hectic.”

“Do you want to come home?”

The question startles him. Of course, he wants to come home. HQ is where he belongs. He isn’t planning on leaving it any time soon. It’s just that he needs to handle Donghyuck differently and it’s going to take time. A lot of time. It’s not an easy task he’s been given.

“Yeah, of course, I do,” he replies. “Look, I’m working on it. Midterms are over and I can finally take a moment to look at the list.”

Jaemin’s eyebrows shoot up. “You haven’t even looked at the list?”

“I haven’t had time,” he whines.

“It sounds like you don’t want to give him a match,” Yuta puts in. “What, are you growing attached to him or something?”

Mark’s ears go warm. “No! You know I can’t—We don’t feel love. That’s not—It doesn’t happen. I just don’t want to rush this. Whatever match I make _needs_ to be permanent before I can go back.” He glances between them. “Does Taeyong know you’re here?”

“Yeah, he gave us permission to check on you,” Jaemin tells him. “We just can’t help you. Magically. Seriously, though, you need to get a move on. Otherwise, you’re going to be stuck here forever. And do you really want that?”

Yuta shrugs. “I mean, it seems kind of fun. I like the music.”

“We’re supposed to be lighting a fire under his ass, not telling him what’s good in the human world.”

“Relax, Nana,” Mark says. “It’ll be fine. I’ll find a match and then I’ll come back home.”

Before either of them can say anything, there’s a knock on the door.

Mark presses to it, asking, “Who is it?”

“Mark? Are you okay? Renjun said you ran off,” comes Donghyuck’s voice.

For a second, he says nothing. He glances over his shoulder at Jaemin and Yuta, who simply watch him and put in no input. Useless. They’re useless.

Unfortunately, he can’t hide in the bathroom forever. People will want to use it and Donghyuck will get worried and Mark needs to get his act together and start working on the mission. Sighing, he opens the door and Donghyuck slips in.

“Hey, you all right?” asks Donghyuck, giving Mark a once over, eyebrows furrowed.

“Hm,” Jaemin hums. “Yuta is right. He _is_ cute.”

Mark shoots Jaemin a glare.

Donghyuck follows his gaze, but his human eyes won’t find anything there. “Um, Mark? Are you a lightweight or something? Did you chug that cup and now you’re tipsy, or something?”

“What?” He’s attention snaps back to Donghyuck. “Oh, no. No, I’m fine. I just had to use the bathroom. Obviously. That’s why I’m here. In the bathroom. Um, yeah. I’m fine. Cool, even.”

Donghyuck looks nothing but dubious with his eyebrows drawing even farther together. “ _Okay_. Well, if you’re done, come on. Jeno and Lucas are going to do a shot challenge. It’s always fun when Jeno gets drunk. He becomes uber clingy and gives out free, hilarious compliments.”

“Uh, sure. Yeah. Let’s go.”

As he’s about to follow Donghyuck, Jaemin calls his name. Jaemin, ever the one to keep loose and play around, seems a little too serious for his liking.

“Don’t forget why you’re here.”

Mark simply nods before closing the door behind him.

*

Just after two in the morning, Mark finds himself dragging Donghyuck’s drunk-self back to their dorm. It’s a little more work than he expects it to be because Drunk Donghyuck is very slippery. He spends his time trying to escape Mark’s hold to go back to the party—despite Renjun telling him to go home and sleep it off before he regrets it—and by the time they get into the cab, Donghyuck’s trying to strip down because he’s “too hot, Mark”. Mark spends the next fifteen minutes, inside the cab, trying to convince him to keep his shirt on.

And once they actually make it across campus—Donghyuck barely keeping his feet under him—and to their dorm, he discovers that making it up the stairs is a trial Mark never wants to repeat.

“Why are they so high?” Donghyuck whines from the floor. He collapsed after the first step and refuses to get up.

“Just one flight of stairs,” says Mark. “Come on. You can do one flight.”

Needless to say, it takes another ten minutes to even get them to their floor and another five to open the door while keeping Donghyuck from trying to walk away to Eros knows where. When they finally get inside, Donghyuck falls back and Mark scrambles to catch him before he can whack his head on the wall.

“I’m dizzy,” he mumbles.

Mark nods. “That’s to be expected, I think. You’re drunk.”

“You’re cute.”

The words hit him in an odd way—his body tenses, unsure—but he holds onto Donghyuck in order to walk him to his room. He tries to keep upright even as Donghyuck keeps slipping through his hands like he’s made of sand. Drunk humans are too much, he thinks. Never again.

“You’re so nice, Markie,” Donghyuck sings as he straightens and throws an arm around Mark’s shoulders. It brings their faces a little too close together, but at least he isn’t falling anymore. His breath hits Mark’s cheek as he leans in. “So _nice_. You’re so good. You—You’re—You’re a _surprise_.” When he goes to tap Mark’s nose with his finger, he misses and nearly pokes Mark in the eye. A giggle escapes him. It sounds like bells.

“All right,” Mark says, depositing Donghyuck onto the bed and moving to remove his shoes. “Stop wiggling.”

“Did you have fun tonight?” Before Mark can say anything Donghyuck slurs, “I did. Lots of fun. I love my friends. I love parties. I love—” He stops abruptly, pressing a hand to his forehead. “Dizzy.”

Shoes finally off, Mark goes to pull the blankets over Donghyuck’s body. “Time to sleep.”

“Not tired.”

“You will be in the morning if you don’t sleep. Don’t get up. No, lay down.” Mark shoves him back into the pillows. “Sleep now.”

“Markie,” Donghyuck sighs, eyes drifting close and his words becoming slower. “You’re so good to me.” As he shifts onto his side, he mutters, “Dreams Mark sweet.”

A smile pulls at his lips as Donghyuck completely shuts down, falling asleep in a blink of an eye. He turns off the light on the way out the door. “Sweet dreams, Donghyuck.”

*

The next day, Donghyuck is too hungover to really do much. He spends his day in an oversized hoodie with the hood up and over his face, buried under his covers and watching a romcom—or so Donghyuck says as he pats the spot next to him on the bed for Mark to join him. He looks soft. Cuddly. Mark finds this feeling, this urge to join him, a little off-putting. That’s not something he should be feeling, he thinks.

He’s a cupid. He should really be feeling much of anything, let alone forming an attachment. While he will admit he enjoys Donghyuck’s company, he knows the attachment isn’t anything permanent. All it does is make him want to do well by him, to make a good match, because Donghyuck at least deserves that after all these lifetimes of _not_ having that.

He knows, when the time comes, he’ll leave. There will be no regrets when it happens. He’ll be happy to have formed a good relationship with a charge and give him what he deserves and then he’ll go home. Just like he said to Jaemin: he knows his job.

Besides, he really doesn’t have anything to worry about. If anything, the attachment is much like his relationships with Jaemin and Yuta and any other cupid. Simply a bond out of necessity. Donghyuck needs him and Mark wants to do a good job.

That’s it. That’s all there is to it.

So, why is he still worrying?

“Hey, Mark? You all right?”

He blinks, dragging his eyes over to Donghyuck, who’s brows have started to furrow. “Hmm?”

“You disappeared there for a moment,” he says, holding out a bowl of chips to share. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing. I just don’t understand what’s going on in the movie,” he lies as he grabs a handful of chips.

“What’s not to get? He’s getting married even though he’s in love with another woman, and she’s trying to be supportive of the marriage even though she loves him.”

Mark frowns. “This is a sad movie.”

“It’s life. People don’t always have a good time with love,” Donghyuck says, voice a little grumbly. “I mean, these guys will end up together because that’s how romcoms go, but in real life? In real life, I’m willing to bet that he’d just get married and regret it for the rest of his life and she’ll be heartbroken for years, never fully letting anyone into her heart for the rest of her life.”

His explanation makes Mark lean forward to pause the movie. “You really think love is that hard?”

“Think about it, Mark. How many people have you known that have had easy relationships?”

All of them, he thinks. But that’s because it’s his job.

He knows what Donghyuck’s talking about because there are people cupids don’t get a chance to get to before they try to match themselves. Those are the ones that struggle the most. But, usually, a cupid gets to them in the end. Unfortunately, they’re the ones that make the most impact on humans, the ones that make them believe love is just too hard to deal with sometimes. Negativity is always more prominent, more permanent.

Still, Mark can’t have Donghyuck think that. Those thoughts aren’t going to help him find a good, solid match for life. It’s going to cause more issues.

“And then look at me,” continues Donghyuck, digging in the bowl. The chips rustle together. “I’ve had failed relationships my entire life. Sure, some of them started out okay, but they’ve all ended up the same. I know you think love is worth it, but really, Mark? It’s more hassle than it’s worth.”

“It takes time and effort,” Mark agrees. “But it’s worth it. Love is always worth it.”

“Have you ever been in love?”

Mark meets his gaze, dark and curious. He finds himself unable to look away. “No, I haven’t.”

“Then how do you really know?” It’s not a harsh question. The tone is soft, a little inquisitive. “I thought I was in love once. But now that I think about it, I think I just convinced myself it was love because I was so desperate. I don’t want to go through all that again. It’s painful and pathetic.”

“Yes, love can be a trial, but when you know—when you _really_ know—it’s impossible to look away from it,” he says, twisting at his ring. Magic thrums through his fingers. “I’ve watched people fall in love and it’s like magic. It’s beautiful and you can see how everything shifts. You may not have found it yet, Donghyuck, but you will. You just need to be patient. Let it come to you. Let it surprise you and sweep you off your feet. It’ll give you what you deserve.”

Donghyuck studies his face, the sun glinting off his eyes until they’re shining gold. There’s an expression on his face that Mark can’t read, but his aura shimmers a bit brighter and Mark thinks it’s hope. A smile crosses his lips and he shoves at Mark’s shoulder, nearly knocking him off the bed.

“God, you’re such a hopeless romantic,” Donghyuck laughs. “What a speech. Wow, I’m impressed.”

Mark’s ears feel warm. “I’m just being honest.”

“I know,” he says, voice falling more serious. “Thank you, Mark. I’m glad I met you.”

“I’m glad I met you, too,” he admits before he can process the words. The truth hits him in the heart, so hard it’s pain.

He really is glad to have met Donghyuck.

He just doesn’t know why that thought scares him more than it probably should.

*

While Donghyuck is at class and Mark has the afternoon off, he keeps to his room to figure out a plan. On his bed, Yuta spreads out over the comforter, making himself right at home. Jaemin has found his perch atop his desk. He had called both of them earlier, but neither of them had said much when they arrived. He thinks they’re probably waiting for him to start talking. Except, he doesn’t know what to say.

He knows he needs to find a match. He knows he’s going to have to figure out a plan. It’s just that every time he thinks about it, he finds himself…not doing it. Of course, it isn’t that he doesn’t want to. Of course, he does. He wants to go home. Even still, he doesn’t want to rush it. He can’t make a mistake. Whoever he picks can’t be a mistake and make matters worse for Donghyuck.

“Are you going to do anything? Or are you just going to keep pacing?” Jaemin asks, checking out his nails from the front and back. When Mark doesn’t stop going back and forth at the end of his bed, he clicks his tongue and snaps, “Mark! Will you at least talk to us?”

That gets him to stop. He runs his fingers through his hair, breathing heavy out of his nose. “I’m sorry. I’m just not sure where to start or if I should even be starting.”

“What do you mean? Of course, you should be starting,” Yuta says with a frown. “That’s why you’re here. To make a match. So…make a match.”

“You say that as if it’s easy.”

“It is easy! Mark, you’ve been here for far too long and what have you actually done for the mission while you were here?”

Chewing on his lower lip, he casts his gaze to his feet. “I’m working. I’m getting to know the situation. The more I know, the better the mission will go. I always study my charges before I make a match.”

“For a couple of days,” Jaemin puts in, “and usually you have a match already in mind. Have you looked at the list since we talked?”

“No.”

“What in Eros’ name are you even doing anymore?” Jaemin demands. “Get the list out.”

“I don’t…” He waves his hands around and gestures to the ring. “I have limited magic. Can’t you give me the list?”

Yuta shakes his head. “We aren’t allowed to interfere, remember? We can only be moral support. This is all on you.”

Sighing, he drops himself on the end of the bed. “I hate this. I hate having to watch myself. I hate not being able to do magic all the time. I hate the fact that Taeyong’s given me this impossible task.”

“He wouldn’t have given it to you if it were impossible,” says Yuta, sitting up to pat him on the shoulder. “Besides, you haven’t tried yet. This might be easier than you think.”

“It won’t be. If cupids before me couldn’t make a match for him, then I doubt this will be easy. There’s a reason the matches don’t stick and I have no idea why. I thought maybe getting to know Donghyuck would help, that maybe something would click, but I’m clueless. He’s friendly and kind and, yeah, a little wild, but he’s good. There’s no reason he should be having this much trouble. He should be the easiest person to match in the whole world.”

Hopping off the desk, Jaemin plops himself in the spot next to him and offers him a slight smile. “You’ll figure it out. You’re Lee Mark, one of the best field cupids. If anyone can do this, it’s you. But you’re going to need to at least look at the list. It might give you some ideas.”

Mark knows he’s right. Jaemin usually is. He just doesn’t want to use up too much of his power. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much of a choice, so he holds out his hands and calls for it.

Donghyuck’s list of potential True Loves appears in his hands. The parchment of the scroll is thick and rough with gold inlay around the edges. It’s tear-proof, glittering with magic that warms his hands. Something about this list calls to him more than any other list in his hands and it takes him a moment to gather himself before finally unrolling it.

The names shimmer to life, writing themselves as he opens it farther and farther. Beside each name is their age, where they are in the world, and a brief note of who they are. For any more information on them, he’s going to have to conjure up their own file. So much magic use before he ever really, truly needs it. He knows, deep down, making the actual match is going to zap a lot of power from his already limited power supply.

Luckily, it looks like the list didn’t cause too much damage. The gem in the ring is still a dark red.

“It’s too many names,” Yuta mutters. “You’re going to have to narrow it down. At least to this area.”

Limiting the list to people in the area is a good idea. Not only will it save a bit of time, but it will give Donghyuck a relationship that doesn’t require him to think about moving around too much. He already knows that—while he wants to travel—he’d rather stay in Seoul as much as possible.

Getting up from the bed, Mark grabs a spare sheet of paper. He places it down on the desk next to the scroll, takes a deep breath, and swipes his hand from the scroll to the blank sheet. Names instantly appear, but it isn’t what he expects.

“That’s not a very big list,” he says. “There are, like, five people on here and—”

“What?” Jaemin asks the moment Mark cuts himself off. He gets up with Yuta to take a peek. “What is it?”

He reads the name repeatedly, making sure it’s the right person before saying anything. “Lucas is on the list.”

“Lucas?”

“One of Donghyuck’s friends.”

“That’s perfect then, right?” Yuta asks. “They’re already friends. It saves you from having to make them meet and get to know each other.”

“He’s so low on the full list, though. Into the three hundreds.” Mark tugs at his lower lip with his teeth. “They might not work at this point. Not with how low he is and their current relationship.”

Jaemin tilts his head to get a better look at the list. “It’s still worth a shot, right? What’s the worst that could happen? They just don’t work and you move on.”

“It _needs_ to work,” he states. “You guys don’t get it. Donghyuck’s already giving up on love. If this goes too badly and he really starts to cave, I don’t know how I’m going to be able to bring him back from it.”

An arm wraps around his shoulder. Yuta brings him in close. “You’re going to have to try. You can’t keep putting this off, Mark. Sooner or later, you’re just going to have to risk it.”

He doesn’t want to risk it with Donghyuck, though. Donghyuck deserves so much more than a risk.

Still, he needs to do this. He needs to figure out how to make this work. And if it doesn’t work out with Lucas, he needs to come up with a plan to lessen the blow.

“It’ll be okay, Mark,” Jaemin whispers. “You know what to do. You always do.”

Usually, he does. This time, however, he’s not so sure.

*

It takes a few more days of mulling over the situation before Mark does anything with the plan he has—as little and uncomplete his plan is. The first step is to find Lucas. From there, he’s going to have to wing it. He’s also going to have to convince Donghyuck to give this a shot.

While he could just shoot Donghyuck with an arrow and lead him under the influence of his magic, Mark finds that he doesn’t want to do it that way. Even with an arrow, even with magic, the match could end up not working in the very end. He wants Donghyuck to want this match without all of that, to make it just that much more his own choice. It’s the only way, he thinks, that would make the match just that much stronger.

Not that the arrow takes away a human’s choice completely. Clearly, they can fall out of love with an arrow just as much as without one. The magic of the arrow only speeds up the feelings between two people that are already a possibility. It helps create a gateway, essentially.

Everything about Donghyuck is different. It’s delicate and strange and Mark wants to do this right, but that means changing up everything he normally would do. He’s so used to shooting two people, influencing them a little to get them together, to get them to trust, and then sticking around to make sure they form a real, solid bond.

He can’t do that with Donghyuck because, obviously, that didn’t work before. Something about that way of doing things, didn’t click. If that means he needs to step out of the box and try to do things a bit differently than usual, he’s going to do it.

He’s not going home until Donghyuck has a match.

“Where are you going?”

Mark glances over his shoulder while shoving on his shoes. Donghyuck, rubbing at his eyes, stands at his bedroom door. Apparently, he’s just woken up because his hair is a mess, sticking up in every direction, and his overly large t-shirt draping off one shoulder. The expanse of his skin is smooth and gold and Mark tears his eyes away to grab his jacket.

“Just out. I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Do you want me to bring you back something from campus?”

“If you’re passing by the café, can you get me a drink? Preferably something with caffeine so I can stay awake long enough to do my essay.”

Casting him a smile, he opens the door and steps into the hallway. “Sounds good. See you soon.”

Hopefully, when he comes back, Donghyuck will have a new chance at love.

That’s the thought that compels him forward.

From what Donghyuck has told him, Lucas spends a lot of time on campus, even when he isn’t in class. He frequents the gym and the café. There were times Donghyuck would mention studying with Lucas in the library, though that doesn’t happen very often

Finding Lucas isn’t going to be easy. He has places he could be, but there’s no guarantees he’ll be there when Mark actually arrives. Which means he’s going to have to use a little more magic.

Finding an empty spot behind a building, Mark rubs his hands together. He feels his power spark at his fingertips, warming him from the inside out. After the last couple of months, it’s become so normal for his magic to be dormant, quiet. It doesn’t fill him the way it used to. He’s not sure which feeling be prefers, but he doesn’t necessarily like the feeling of it coming and going.

“Give me a trail,” he mutters, pushing his hands toward the ground. As a cupid, it was easy to locate a charge. It was an innate ability to sense them no matter where they were. Like he is now, however, Mark can barely find his phone on most days.

Along the ground sparks a pink trail. Mark follows as it appears. It twists and winds and unfolds through the walkways of campus. Soon enough, he slows to a stop outside the campus gym. Not surprised, he walks along the pink path into the building and up a flight of stairs.

Even on a Tuesday, there’s a crowd inside the build. Through glass walls, he can see a yoga class in one studio and a dance group in the other. He dodges a group of guys on their way down, the pathway beneath his feet slowly vanishing. It’s gone by the time he ends up in the weight room.

By that point, though, it doesn’t matter because, across the room, is Lucas. His basketball shorts hang low on his hips and his arms were on full display through the gaping holes of his sleeveless shirt. After putting down the weights in his hands, he brings the bottom of his shirt up to wipe at his forehead. Abs. Of course, he has abs.

Mark wonders if Donghyuck would care about something like that.

As he lowers his shirt, Lucas glances into the mirror and spots him. He turns around, grinning. “Hey, dude. I didn’t know you hit the gym.”

“Um, I,” he shuffles farther into the room, “was just checking it out. Am I interrupting?”

“No, not at all. I was just finishing actually. Was about to head to the café. Want to tag along? We didn’t really get to talk much at the party and I’d love to get to know Donghyuck’s new best friend,” he laughs.

“New best friend?”

Shouldering his bag, he joins Mark at the door. “Yeah, he talks about you all the time. Sometimes it’s hard to get him to stop.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway, how’s it going? Last I saw you, you were dragging Donghyuck’s drunk ass home.”

They make their way down the stairs and out the front door. On the way, Mark finds Lucas to be the personification of a very large, happy puppy. The energy radiates off him, his laugh is booming, and he’s so friendly that Mark thinks it would be nearly impossible to dislike him.

Together, Donghyuck and Lucas would be quite the pair. And it sounds like they are. Lucas has more than enough stories about the trouble they’ve gotten up to, the pranks they’ve pulled. Mark has a hard time not laughing at the images Lucas creates. Perhaps, they would be a decent couple. Although, he still wonders.

The laughter would be amazing, the energy unstoppable, but does Lucas even Donghyuck out? Would he keep Donghyuck sane? Keep him serious when the time calls for it?

Even still, he’s going to have to try. He’s going to have to do what Jaemin said.

He’s going to have to risk it.

Lucas leads them over to one of the tables off to the side. “So, have any hobbies?”

“Not really,” Mark says. “Donghyuck’s teaching me about video games.”

Lucas laughs. “I’m not shocked. He could play those all night. He gets so into it.”

“Yeah, sometimes it’s a little scary.”

“Tell me about it! But he makes it fun,” Lucas says. “I’d rather play with him than someone else, even though he’s more likely to shoot you in the back in order to win.”

Mark smiles. “He keeps you on your toes.”

“Sure does.” Lucas hums before taking a sip of his latte. “You seem fond. You wouldn’t happen to _like_ him, would you?”

His body tenses. “Oh. N-No.” The smirk on Lucas’ face grows. “No, we’re just friends. That’s—That’s all. But, um, why are you asking? Do you like him or something?”

Tilting his head, Lucas says, “Nah, dude. At least, not that way. We’ve been friends since first year and he’s super cool, but no.”

“Not at all?”

“I mean, I guess he’s cute and all. But I’ve always just thought of him as a friend,” he says with a shrug. “When I met him, he was with this girl and it didn’t end very well. And then he got together with this guy this past summer, which, as you know, also didn’t end well. Maybe if I had met him while he was single, I would have thought differently, but we’ve always just been buds, you know? I doubt he’d see me as anything different, too.”

Well, that doesn’t sound promising. If Lucas has no romantic feelings for Donghyuck, getting him to ask him on a date is going to be a challenge.

Mark’s worked on couples that have had no feelings or who have been rivals or enemies. It’s been worse, he thinks. However, he’s not quite sure that route is what will have the best result for Donghyuck. It’s too bad he doesn’t have much of a choice.

Twisting at his ring, he feels the magic under his skin. It tingles just above the surface. Gradually, the world around them slows, the sound dwindles into nothing. Then, it stops completely. Lucas sits across from him, frozen with his latte at his lips.

Swallowing around the lump forming in his throat, Mark stands and takes a few steps away from the table. An arrow appears in his hands. The stem is golden, the feathers at the end a deep purple. Donghyuck’s arrow is a reflection of himself. It weighs heavily in his hand as he drags his fingers down to the tip, igniting it with magic.

He reaches out his empty hand, closing it around a bow that shimmers into existence. Nocking the arrow, he aims it at Lucas’ heart. It won’t make him fall in love with Donghyuck, but it will create a start, the potential for a newer bond. That’s all he needs.

For once, in the hundred years he’s been a cupid, he’s never shaken. Not while shooting. It’s always been a clean, effortless shot. And, yet, the tip of the arrow wavers just slightly. Mark’s grip tightens. He needs to stop thinking and just do his job.

The arrow flies, piercing Lucas’ heart. When he lets go of the bow, it vanishes. Gingerly, he moves to the empty chair beside Lucas and sits down. This is so much magic. He can feel it leaving him, and he doesn’t even know if this will work.

“You see Donghyuck as a friend,” he starts, “but maybe…Maybe there could be a chance for more if you give it a shot. You—You should try to ask him on a date, see if those platonic emotions could be something more.” Wetting his lips, he adds, “You already see him as someone worth having around. Perhaps, it’s time to take a risk. Try it. What’s the worst that could happen?” His heart stutters as he glances down at Lucas’ phone. “T-Text him. Take a chance.”

He gets up from the chair and moves back to where he was originally. Thumbing at the gem in his ring, he releases the hold he has on the room and everything comes back to life. Noise fills the space as quickly as a crash of cymbals. The arrow that pierced Lucas’ heart can no longer be seen, but Mark knows it’s still there.

Glancing at his ring, he takes in the gem. The original dark red color has lightened significantly to something closer to firetruck red. His heart clenches. He can’t even imagine what will happen if the gem is bled of color, leaving him without any power completely.

Lucas lowers his latte to the table, frowning slightly. “You don’t think I should, like, ask him out or something, do you? I mean, I like him as a friend, but I don’t know…” He meets Mark’s gaze. “To be honest, I thought you and him had a thing happening.”

Mark straightens. “N-No. Like I said, we’re just friends. That’s all. If you want to ask him on a date, I don’t see why not. Worst case scenario, you guys decide it isn’t worth it and you stay friends, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Standing up, he says, “Sorry to leave, but I promised I would get Donghyuck a drink before I head back to the dorm, so he’s probably waiting. I’ll talk to you later?”

“Yeah,” Lucas says, though his gaze is set on his phone. “See you later.”

He waits a moment, just to see if Lucas will say or do anything else, before heading over to the counter to order for Donghyuck. Once he has the drink, he spares one last glance at Lucas—his phone is between his fingers now—and leaves.

Nothing may come of it, but something also might. Mark has no idea and all he can do is wait and see. Hopefully, he’s simply overthinking everything. Maybe this whole mission won’t be as bad as he thinks it will be and all he’s doing is setting himself back.

That must be it, the nerves he feels as he makes his way back to the dorm. It’s because this mission is so much more pressure. It’s a big job. Taeyong is relying on him and he wants to do right by Donghyuck. That’s the only reason this whole situation feels…off.

When he opens the door to the dorm, he spots Donghyuck at the small table. It looks like he’s decided to move away from his bed to finish up his essay—probably because every time he works in his room, he just ends up falling asleep. His laptop sits untouched in front of him, however, as his phone is in his hands. He stares down at the screen with his eyes slightly furrowed.

“Hey,” Mark says as he puts Donghyuck’s drink on the table.

Without glancing up, he replies, “Hey. Thanks.”

“Are you all right?”

Donghyuck lowers the phone, his eyes flitting up to Mark’s face. He seems confused, uncertain. The aura around him is swirling. “I, uh—It’s Lucas.”

Taking the spot across from him, he tries to school his features as he asks, “Is he okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, he’s fine. At least, I think so?” He wiggles his phone. “He asked me out. Like, on a date. I didn’t even think he liked me like that. I thought, you know, he had other people on his mind. He even says in his message that he was sure we were just friends.” His frown deepens. “But now he isn’t sure and he wants to go on a date and I—Well, I don’t know what to think.”

Mark decides it’s best to just rip off the Band-Aid and get straight to it. “Do you like him?”

“I don’t think so? I mean, I’ve never really thought of him that way. He’s always just been one of my friends,” he says. “I suppose it could be worse, right? Lucas is a great guy. I like hanging out with him. I just don’t know if I see him as a potential partner.”

“Well, like you said. It could be worse. Besides, if it doesn’t work out then you can just stay friends. It’s just a date, right?”

Donghyuck worries his bottom lip. “You—You think I should do it?”

“I always think the potential for love is worth a shot,” he admits. “Why not take a chance? For all you know, he could end up being something special.”

“Yeah, maybe,” mutters Donghyuck. “I don’t know.”

“One date,” Mark says. “You aren’t marrying him. There’s no pressure.”

Nodding, he says, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s just one date. But you’re _sure_ I should do this?”

Donghyuck’s eyes are impossibly round and the light from the room gives them zero justice because Mark knows how golden they can become and, right now, they’re dark, endless. Mark isn’t sure what kind of answer he’s searching for or why he seems so set on getting Mark’s opinion. None of this is going to affect him. All of this is in Donghyuck’s hands now.

“Give it a try,” he replies, quietly.

“Okay.”

As Donghyuck picks up his phone to answer Lucas and agree to a date, Mark tries to ignore the way his stomach churns. It’s just nerves to make this end well, he tells himself. He’s sure of it.

That’s all it can be.

*

Helping Donghyuck find something to wear for his date is a bit of a headache because he can’t seem to set his mind on anything. Lucas had said they were going bowling, which means a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt are just fine, but Donghyuck has gone through way too many changes in the last half hour, running in and out of his room and into Mark’s to show off what he’s put together. And, to be completely honest, Mark thinks he looks good in all of them.

Donghyuck could probably wear a paper bag and he would still pull it off.

Except, no matter what he says, his words go unheard. Donghyuck takes one more look at himself, huffs, and races away to change again.

Lucas better appreciate how much thought is going into Donghyuck’s appearance, at this point.

“Donghyuck,” he says, scrambling off the bed to grab his arm and stop him from running away to change again. “You look great. Why are you so worried?”

His gaze shoots to the floor. “I don’t know. It’s just Lucas. I shouldn’t be so nervous. But he’s my friend and this is just so weird and I want it to go well. I don’t want to mess anything up and—”

“Hey,” he whispers as he takes Donghyuck’s face in his hands and tilts his head up so that they can look at each other. “Hey, you won’t mess anything up, okay? Like you said, it’s Lucas. You guys know who you are and what you’re like. Just go with the flow. Don’t worry.”

Beneath his finger tips, Donghyuck seems to heat around the cheeks before the pink starts flushing across his nose. Standing toe to toe, Mark can see the moles that dot his face, the flecks of gold in his eyes as they widen. He hadn’t meant to get so close, but now that he’s here he isn’t exactly sure what to do.

He knows he should step back and give Donghyuck space and, yet, his legs don’t want to move. His thumbs swipe along Donghyuck’s cheekbones, taking in the warmth there. It’s kind of fascinating how human’s blush, why they do it and how much they can. Donghyuck, apparently, can flush right to his ears and down his neck. Mark can’t stop himself from following it.

Then, he catches himself. His gaze snaps back up to Donghyuck’s eyes and there’s something in them. Something he can’t quite put his finger on. But it’s enough of something to get him to let go and step back. Away. He needs to be away.

Clearing his throat, he gestures to Donghyuck’s outfit and says, “So, um, yeah. You’re good. You look good. Um, just, uh, stay like that. Yeah.”

For a moment, Donghyuck says nothing. He simply stands there, the flush slowly disappearing until it’s just across his nose.

He takes a step back. “Yeah, thanks. I, uh—I will. Yeah.”

“Yeah,” Mark mutters. “You’re welcome. Have fun.”

“I will. Thanks.”

“Yeah. Okay, then.”

An awkward tension fills the room. Mark isn’t sure what put it there, why it’s there, or even how to get rid of it, but it stretches between them like an elastic band. Never in his life has his heart pounded so fast, has his mind gone completely blank that he has no idea what to do.

“I should, um,” Donghyuck waves his hand in the direction of his room, “go finish getting ready. I have to leave in ten minutes.”

“What time do you think you’ll be back?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I—You don’t have to wait up for me or anything.”

Mark gives him a slight nod. “Right. Um, yeah. Okay. I guess I’ll see you later then.”

The smile Donghyuck gives him is small, maybe a little bashful, before hurrying back to his room. He leaves shortly after that with a simple ‘goodbye’ and that’s the end of it. Mark stands in the middle of their empty dorm wondering why he feels so lost.

It doesn’t matter, though. What matters, is the fact that he’s going to have to focus. As a cupid, it’s imperative to follow a charge until the match is complete. That means, attending dates. As a supposed human, Mark knows people don’t just stalk their friend’s dates. But as Donghyuck’s cupid, he needs to. It’s his job.

The trouble, however, is that Mark can’t keep using his magic, which means he’s going to have stay human and stay hidden for as long as he can until he’s desperate enough.

So, he throws on an oversized sweater, a mask, and a cap before leaving the dorm. Lucas had said bowling and there’s only one bowling alley close by. It’s about two blocks from campus and one short bus ride away.

By the time Mark arrives, he’s pretty sure Donghyuck is already inside.

Mark’s been in a few bowling alleys all across South Korea. It was a really big date spot when they were becoming more popular back in the day. But as a cupid, one that sits on a slightly different plane of existence the majority of the time, Mark has never really smelt one. It’s all deep-fried food and wood polish and shoes. It’s not a pleasant smell. It has his nose wrinkling.

Still, he pushes his way through the lobby and glances around. Most of the lanes are busy with people. Laughter and chatter and music ring off the walls. In the corner is a small arcade with billiards. Every knock of a ball against the edge of the pool table is shockingly loud as he walks by, searching for Donghyuck.

Then, he sees him. He and Lucas are at the last lane, already starting their game. Things seem to be going well enough. They’re both laughing, both smiling, and that’s a good sign. It could be worse. Mark has definitely seen some failed dates before.

Quietly, he finds a chair near the back wall and pulls his cap down. From here, he can just barely make out their voices with all the noise around him, but he can’t afford to go invisible. He glances up just as Lucas throws one of the bowling balls down the lane, immediately getting a gutterball. Mainly because he flourished his pose a little too much. Donghyuck’s laughter is all Mark can hear.

“What the hell was that?” Donghyuck asks, suppressing his laughter with his hands. “That was a mess.”

“That was me warming up,” says Lucas. “Just you wait, Lee. I’ll show you what I’ve got.”

They get along so easily, he thinks to himself as Lucas fumbles another ball and Donghyuck laughs again before grabbing a ball for himself. Lucas says something and Donghyuck flashes him the middle finger. It’s an effortless flow of energy between them. Everything feels good. Really good.

Mark watches them go back and forth, tuning out the conversation in exchange for simply observing. Donghyuck doesn’t blush around Lucas, even when Lucas reaches for his hand when they take a break to eat. He just smiles, eases into it. There’s fondness in his eye, sure, but Mark isn’t sure it’s romantic. Especially when they go back to playing and just goof off like two friends just…Well, just bowling.

It gets competitive, too. Not that it’s a bad thing, but it isn’t anything extravagant either. Donghyuck still jokes around, but he’s quite serious about winning and Mark wonders if he’s forgotten that this is a date. There’s no real flirting happening, no attempts of touching—except that very short hand-holding that happened on their break—and there doesn’t seem to be any nerves.

And while they both still know each other; dating is different then just hanging out with a friend. There should be nerves there. There should be hesitation. This is a new territory for them both and they don’t seem to even realize.

Strangely enough, Mark isn’t sure how he feels about it. He should want this to work. He should want Lucas and Donghyuck to end up together, so that he can call this mission over and go home. Except, a small part of him isn’t so sure. A small part of him thinks that—hopes that—this isn’t quite the right match.

And he doesn’t understand why.

It isn’t until near the end of their second game that Mark hears them and starts to think if maybe all his pervious thoughts were a little premature. Because, suddenly, they’re actually talking about the date being a _date_.

“This has been fun,” Lucas says, dropping into the seat next to Donghyuck. His arm goes across the back of the booth, but Mark isn’t sure that was a move on Donghyuck. He’s pretty sure Lucas just did that to get comfortable. “Thanks for coming out with me.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re winning by two points,” quips Donghyuck. He smiles. “But I agree. I’m having a good time. I just have to ask you a question.”

Lucas sits up. “Shoot.”

Brows furrowing, Donghyuck turns so he’s fully facing Lucas. “Why did you ask me on a date? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like hanging out with you and you’d be a good catch for anyone, but I didn’t think we were at that level, you know?”

“To be honest, I’m not really sure. I guess, I just figured I would give it a shot. I was talking to Mark and, well—”

“Wait. Mark? Mark told you to ask me out?”

Something in Donghyuck’s voice feels wrong, maybe a little sharp, and Mark crosses his arms, sinking into his seat. Oh, Eros.

“Well, not really. I thought maybe you guys had a thing—”

“Lucas!” Donghyuck slaps his hands over his cheeks. “Why?”

“I don’t know! Because you talk about him all the time? Anyway, we were talking and he asked if I liked you and at the end of it, I thought ‘why not?’. I mean, I figured if we didn’t have a spark then we could just call it quits and think of this as just a hang out.”

Mark waits as Donghyuck lowers his hands, his nose scrunched up in thought. Then, slowly, he asks, “Do we? Have a spark, I mean?”

Lucas glances down at his shoes. “I really like you, Donghyuck. I’m just not sure if it’s romantic. You’re cool and fun and a great person to hang out with, but—”

“No, I get it,” Donghyuck sighs. “I kind of feel like I’m just hanging out with my brother.”

Tossing his head back, Lucas laughs. “Oh, god, yes! Yeah, it does! I think if, maybe, I had met you at a different time it would work, but I don’t think it’ll work.”

“I feel that. Besides, I thought you were into someone else,” says Donghyuck. “Which made me really confused when you asked me.”

“And you still said yes?”

“Well, I figured you were smart enough not to ask me while you still liked someone else.”

Lucas rubs at the nape of his neck. “Yeah, about that—”

“Lucas!” Donghyuck swats him upside the head. “You idiot!”

“Dude, don’t be mean!”

“I’m not being mean. You’re actually an idiot.”

The pressure sitting on his heart lightens as Mark watches them talk. It doesn’t look like this match is going to work out.

So, he runs his hand over his ring and wills himself invisible. Getting up from his chair, he starts over to them. Donghyuck is still shouting at Lucas for not asking out the person he actually likes—Mark is going to have to look into that—and Lucas keeps swatting his hands away. The arrow he placed in Lucas’ heart is still there.

Gently, he reaches out to take hold of the stem and gives it a harsh tug. Lucas jolts still as it pulls free.

“You okay? Donghyuck asks.

Lucas nods, rubbing at his chest. “Yeah. Yeah, that just felt odd.”

The arrow blinks out of existence from his hand. With one last look at the two of them, Mark starts out of the bowling alley. He shimmers back, visible again, once he steps outside. He’s halfway across the parking lot when he hears his name being called.

Renjun is stepping out of his car with Jeno and two other younger boys. He waves and Mark walks over to them.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Renjun asks as he locks up the car. He glances at Jeno. “You guys go in. I’ll meet you there.”

“Bowling?” Mark inquires.

“Billiards, actually. Although, I’m pretty sure Jisung is going to head straight for the claw machine. He’ll waist all his money on it.”

“Jisung?”

Renjun points at his friends, now disappearing into the building. “Jisung and Chenle. I forgot you hadn’t met them yet. I can introduce you next time. Actually, are you leaving? Did you want to join us?”

“Oh, thank you, but I really should get home. I was just…” Think, Mark, think. “Donghyuck’s on a date and he said he would text me if things were going well or not, but I didn’t hear anything, so I just decided to check on him.”

Renjun bites his lip. His posture shifts, shoulders drooping and arms wrap around himself. He shoots a look through the corner of his eye at the building. “Right. With Lucas. Yeah. I forgot they were coming here.”

Tilting his head, he asks, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, of course. Totally fine.”

“It doesn’t seem like it.” It doesn’t sound like it either. Renjun’s voice is tight, locked, as if he’s making himself talk.

“I just, um—It’s whatever.”

Mark frowns. “Are you not okay with them going on a date?”

“No, of course, I am. I can’t stop them if that’s what they really want. I mean, I want them to be happy.”

“But you don’t seem happy.” He pauses. “Do you like Donghyuck?”

Renjun shakes his head so hard that Mark worries for his neck. “No. No, not like that. We’re brothers. Always have been.”

“So, then Lucas.” It comes out as more of a statement then a question because the more Mark observes Renjun’s body language and hears his voice, it becomes so clear. “I’m sorry.”

Renjun’s head snaps up, eyes wide. “Why are you sorry? None of this is your fault.”

It is, he thinks. It’s his fault. He should have checked. But he’s going to fix it.

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” he says. “I heard Donghyuck say something about them just being friends. Don’t give up on him just yet, okay?” Renjun raises a brow. “I know we just met and all, but trust me. Things will work out.”

“Wow, Donghyuck was right about you. You really are a hopeless romantic.”

“I really am. Anyway, I should go. He seems fine. I’ll talk to you later.”

Renjun nods. “Yeah. I’ll see you around, I guess. Have a good night.”

Mark waits for Renjun to walk away before he turns his back on the building and starts back to the dorm. Oh, sweet Aphrodite, if he had only checked Lucas’ list before trying to set Donghyuck up with him. Honestly, he’s lucky he found out now and not later down the line. If Renjun likes Lucas and if Renjun was the person Donghyuck was alluding to Lucas liking, then they must be high on each other’s lists. He could have severely messed up a budding match.

Once back in the confines of his room, Mark doesn’t waste any time. He thinks ‘screw the limited magic’ and calls on both Lucas’ and Renjun’s scrolls. He groans when he spots that, yes, right now, they’re both at the top of the True Love list.

Names can shift in priority depending on a few things, but the most prominent reason is based on where a person is in their life; who they’ve talked to first and what feelings they have in that particular moment. In this case, Renjun met Lucas first and now they live together and they’ve formed an attachment. It’s only predictable they would be up in the top five, at least. In this case, they’re both each other’s number ones.

Not Soulmates, but certainly True Loves. That’s just as important.

And Mark is going to make sure it happens.

*

“Oh, hey,” Donghyuck says as he steps into the dorm and tosses his things on the counter. It’s a little after ten and Mark’s left his door open, waiting for Donghyuck to get home. “You’re still up.”

“It’s too early to sleep,” he says.

He shifts over as Donghyuck comes to sit next to him on the bed to check out what he’s watching on his laptop. Donghyuck smells like french-fries and bowling, but Mark doesn’t mind. He doesn’t think it’s the worst thing in the world, especially as Donghyuck presses up against his side and sighs.

“How was your date?”

Even though Donghyuck shrugs, trying to act nonchalant, a smile breaks through. “It was fine. We decided dating wasn’t for us.”

“You’re okay with that?”

“I’m actually relieved, weirdly enough. Dating Lucas would be a lot. Like, the two of us together would be a lot, I think.” He sighs again and rests his head on Mark’s shoulder. “But it was good to try. I heard you told him to text me.”

“Not in so many words. The conversation was a little…Well, I said he should take chances. He did the texting.” Donghyuck’s hair tickles his cheek. He’s warm. “I’m glad you had fun, regardless.”

“Me, too. Lucas is always a wild time. We should all go bowling next time. Actually,” he sits up, “I ran into Renjun and Jeno. And Jisung and Chenle. You should meet them. They’re good kids. For the most part.”

Mark smiles. “I’d like that.”

Donghyuck hums as he lays his head back down on Mark’s shoulder. “Thank you. For helping me. I know this is probably not what you signed up for when you decided to dorm this year.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just, like, an emotionally chaotic roommate, who’s love life is in total shambles. I know I can be a lot. I can be…”

“A wild ride?”

Donghyuck snorts. “Yeah. That.”

Shifting a bit so that Donghyuck is more comfortably locked into his side, Mark says, “I never once thought that about you. I mean, yeah, you have energy, but you’re a good guy, who wants to be loved and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. That should never be a bad thing. Things happen and they happen to everyone. You know what I see?”

“What?” he mutters, not even looking at Mark, but at his own hands. His fingers fiddle on his lap.

“I see a nice, empathetic guy, who cares about his friends, who wants to be loved, and who deserves it wholeheartedly. One day, you’re going to meet the right person and they’re going to love you more than you ever could imagine. And all of this—this emotional rollercoaster that you’re on—is going to seem like a dream.”

Donghyuck lifts his head as Mark glances over. Their noses brush. Mark’s heart stutters into a race. They’re so close that he can feel Donghyuck’s breath fan across his skin. Donghyuck’s eyes flicker down to Mark’s lips and he tries not to move. He doesn’t even breathe. He doesn’t think he can. His lungs burn.

Then, Donghyuck’s gaze locks back on Mark’s. “Thank you,” he whispers.

An urge to brush the fringe out of Donghyuck’s eyes is strong. He grips at his pants to keep his hands in place. “You don’t have to thank me.”

When Donghyuck tilts his head away, Mark feels like he can breathe again. “I’m glad I met you, Mark. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I hadn’t. I can’t imagine it.”

Throat suddenly dry, he tries to swallow. It isn’t easy. “Me neither.”

“How come…” His voice trails off and Mark waits, patiently. “How come you don’t have someone?”

He hesitates. How is he supposed to explain this? How is he meant to lie about this? In a way, he’s just tricking Donghyuck into believing he’s someone he isn’t. A human who believes in love, perhaps wants it for himself, who will be there as a friend forever. But that isn’t Mark. He’s a cupid, who can’t feel love and who won’t be here forever. He’ll have to go back. He’ll have to leave Donghyuck, eventually.

He forces himself not to think about it. The mission is far from over. He doesn’t have to deal with that just yet. But he still has to deal with lying. Lying to someone, who doesn’t deserve it.

“I guess I just haven’t found someone I’ve wanted to be with,” he replies.

It’s an easy answer and a cheap one, but Mark has nothing else left to say without possibly making Donghyuck too curious. And he’s already curious enough.

“You’re a really good guy, Mark. I don’t doubt that you’ll find someone,” Donghyuck mutters. “Someone worth it.”

His heart thuds at the words. A human, wishing him love seems very odd. The strangeness doesn’t get lost on him. He feels it niggling about in his mind and, for once, he kind of wishes it were possible. For a split second, he wishes he could experience the one thing he causes humans to feel. Except, it isn’t possible. Cupids don’t have the capacity to love. To care, maybe, but never love. Never like it is with humans.

“Thank you.” His tone is nothing but air, but he knows Donghyuck heard it because he gives a little nod, his hair tickling Mark’s chin.

Silence stretches between them. Neither of them move. The space between them is small and Donghyuck radiates heat, warming up Mark’s side as he curls in closer. There’s something about it that Mark likes.

He likes being like this, being this close. He can’t remember the last time he felt comfortable like this with someone. Cupids hug, on occasion, but they don’t have time to relax into each other’s holds. And Mark isn’t even sure a lot of them would if given the chance. They wouldn’t understand it. Sure, they see human’s touch, kiss, be held, but for a cupid to experience it? They wouldn’t get why it’s a need. Or even a want. It’s just not something they do.

Cupids: cursed to bring love to others, but never feel it themselves.

And, yet, as Mark lays there with Donghyuck, hitting play on his movie so that Donghyuck can finish it with him, he wonders. He thinks. He feels.

Something is different. He just wishes he understood it.

*

Mark knows he could have just called on Jaemin to take this case. He knows he should be saving his magic for Donghyuck. However, he also knows that this is his mess to clean up.

That’s how he finds himself, invisible, in the middle of Lucas and Renjun’s apartment building while they’re both having dinner and watching a movie. They have plates of pizza in their laps and Lucas keeps making comments that cause Renjun to choke on his foot and kick at him, telling him to shut up.

They look strangely domestic like this, he thinks. The atmosphere is comfortable, calm, as Mark brings up his bow and nocks the first arrow. It’s cobalt blue with orange feathers at the end. Lucas’ arrow, bright and bold.

Renjun puts the plate down and leans into the side of the couch, casting a glace at Lucas, whose eyes are still glued to the screen across from them. Guilt swims in Mark’s stomach. Oh, he should have checked so much sooner.

He aims the arrow at Renjun’s heart and, without another thought, releases it. It hits him and Renjun stops for just a second before reaching out to rub at his chest.

Holding his hand out, another arrow appears. Red stem with black feathers dipped in silver. Mark nocks Renjun’s arrow and moves to aim at Lucas.

This is a long time coming, he thinks. Someone should have been on their case a while ago, but sometimes matches fall between the cracks and there is nothing they can do about it. Cupids can’t get to every human, and not always right away.

Renjun’s arrow pierces Lucas’ heart. He sits up, eyebrows furrowing. Then, Lucas chances a look to Renjun and their eyes meet.

There. Mark lets go of his bow and it disappears. Now, it’s up to them.

Usually, he would at least stay until their relationship solidified, but Lucas and Renjun aren’t his charges. Donghyuck is. Donghyuck is who he should be focusing on, helping. And as he takes in the way Lucas and Renjun look at each other, he realizes that he needs to hurry.

This is everything Donghyuck is missing out on, everything he’s never fully had in so many of his lifetimes. Donghyuck, the boy with a heart of gold, deserves love and Mark is going to find it for him. No matter what it takes or how long he has to stay, Mark isn’t leaving until Donghyuck has a match.

He glances down at his ring, the gem fading slightly.

He just wishes his magic agreed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone!  
> So...this wasn't supposed to take almost a month to get out, yet here we are. I'm so sorry! Hopefully, the next part won't take as long. I'll try my best. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Mark knows he shouldn’t be wasting his magic, but he’s desperate. And desperate times call for desperate measures. Which is how he finds himself back at HQ, marching down the hall toward Taeyong’s office. While he could have asked either Yuta or Jaemin to bring him, he knows they wouldn’t have. He has to do this on his own, even if it means using his limited magic to come back to the source of everything.

On the way, he ignores the curious glances of his co-workers. By now, they must know what’s happened to him, what he did. He doesn’t owe them anything, no explanations.

He skirts around a couple of cupids, gaze set on the double doors at the end of the hall. He throws them open without a second thought. He pauses on the threshold as Jaehyun jumps away from Taeyong, both of them appearing to be in the middle of some kind of conversation. A serious one, by the looks of it.

“Mark,” Taeyong says, stepping around Jaehyun. “What are you doing here?”

“I,” he glances at Jaehyun before pulling off his ring for Taeyong to see, “need you to charge this.”

Sighing, Taeyong shoots Jaehyun a look Mark can’t quite see. Jaehyun nods and leaves the room, smiling at Mark as he goes. Once the door is shut, Taeyong say, “You know I can’t. I limited your magic for a reason.”

“Taeyong, please,” he begs. “It’s not enough. If you want me to do what you’re asking, I need more.”

Taking the ring from Mark’s fingers, he studies the slightly faded gem with furrowed brows. “How—Mark, what did you use your magic on? You’re almost halfway.”

He shuffles, locking his fingers together and finding Taeyong’s floor very fascinating. “Um, just a few things?” Clearing his throat, he asks, “Can’t you do anything?”

“No,” Taeyong says as he passes the ring back. “I can’t. This is a punishment, Mark. If you want magic, you need to stop spending it on needless things.”

He doesn’t think his ways of using his magic has been needless. Then again, it hasn’t really helped him either. He thinks of how he matched Donghyuck’s best friends easier than Donghyuck himself, his actual charge.

“I can’t do this by myself,” Mark says, voice soft, hesitant. “He barely has anyone on his list and he’s so ready to give up. Taeyong, what if I can’t help him? What if I can’t find his match?”

Walking around his desk to sit down, Taeyong replies, “You will. If anyone can, it’s you.” He gestures to the chair on the other side of the desk and Mark sits. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”

So, he does. He unloads it all. He mentions Donghyuck’s break up, how hesitant he seemed to even attempt love again, how Mark found out about Lucas and set them up, only for it to not work out. He even mentions matching Lucas and Renjun up. Taeyong frowns at that, but doesn’t say anything.

“I just don’t get it,” he finds himself saying after everything. “He’s so _good_. And, yet, nothing has worked out for him. And when I look at his list, none of the people on there seem right. Usually, I can just…I can tell, you know? I know which one to pick, but I can’t with him.”

The silence that settles after he stops is almost comforting. He hasn’t had anyone to really talk to. Yuta and Jaemin come around every now and again, but Taeyong’s been at this far longer than Mark has and he thinks he needs the advice from someone who knows, really knows.

Despite wanting answers, Mark lets Taeyong think, lets him ponder all the information Mark’s thrown at him and gather up his words so that they’re careful and make sense. In true Taeyong fashion.

“When I gave you Donghyuck’s file,” he starts, slowly, “I told you it would be a challenge. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. If it were easy, any cupid would have been able to do it.”

Pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes, he mutters, “But I don’t get why this is happening. Why _him_? Is there some kind of glitch in the universe and he’s just the poor soul being affected by it?”

“You, of all people, know the universe doesn’t glitch. Things happen how they’re meant to happen. Though, I must admit, it’s a rarity for something like this to happen.”

“There’s barely any information on his past, as well,” Mark points out, flicking his wrist and allowing the folder to appear between his fingers. “It doesn’t say who tried to match him up before. It doesn’t even say who his original match was. I know things fall through the cracks sometimes, but we’re cupids. We have magic! How are we not able to know all of this?”

“The information that appears on those files are things that were shared,” Taeyong explains. “Information cannot simply be known. It needs to be given.”

Mark groans, flopping back into the chair and looking up toward the ceiling. It’s white and smooth and blank. Unlike his mind that’s spinning so hard he’s getting a headache.

“Look,” Taeyong says as he leans forward on the desk, “if you need some help with the list, I would suggest going to see Doyoung. He’s in the research lab.”

“He’s always in the research lab,” he grumbles, but he gets up anyway. “There’s nothing you can do?”

Taeyong’s eyes soften. “I wish I could. But this is your mission, Mark. You need to figure this out on your own.”

He hates that. He just wants answers, he wants someone to point at a person and tell him, ‘Yeah, that one is Donghyuck’s match,’ and then everything would be solved. The weird part is, he doesn’t even want it for himself, like how he usually feels when he just wants to get a match over with so he can go home and take a break before starting on a new one. He wants it for Donghyuck. Donghyuck, who’s been through heartbreak after heartbreak. Donghyuck, who is on the verge of simply expecting a future single life. Donghyuck, who deserves so much more than all of that.

He wonders if Taeyong knows what he’s thinking because he gets a small smile that feels all too knowing. It makes him antsy, so he bids goodbye and hurries to the research lab.

It takes several minutes to get there, to go down past the lobby by several floors. Unlike a human basement, this part of HQ is just as bright as the rest of the place. The light from outside is never ending, reaching all the floors, all the crevasses. After spending so much time away, it almost hurts to look at.

When he reaches the double white doors part way down the hall, he waltzes in without a second thought. He’s been in the lab before—multiple times, actually—but it still stuns him sometimes. A large room with a high ceiling. Like everywhere else in HQ, it’s polished clean and sparkling white. His eyes drift over the machines that fill the room with a soft hum. In the middle is a round platform. Light swirls up from the surface.

Over by one of the holo-screens, standing in front of the controls, is a tall, slender man. His hair is black, contrasting sharply with his pale skin. At the sound of the door swinging open, he glances over his shoulder, eyes hidden behind a pair of thick-framed glasses.

“I thought you were on a mission,” he says as he turns back to the screen. It’s full of portraits and lists of names. Mark can hardly follow it; it moves so fast.

“I was. I mean, I am. I’m just…I need help,” he admits. “I’m hoping you can do that.”

Sighing, the man steps back from the controls and faces Mark, arms crossed over his chest. His suit, like every other cupid, is all white, from the pressed collar all the way down to the toes of his shoes, but atop all that is a long, pearlescent pink lab coat.

Doyoung isn’t the most intimidating cupid Mark’s ever met, but he holds an air of simply not caring and it makes it difficult to approach him, especially younger cupids. Mark, however, has been around long enough to know that Doyoung can be rather soft and caring when he really wants to.

“Taeyong said you had a cold case.”

“I do. Lee Donghyuck. He’s been unmatched for nearly eight lifetimes and I’m at a bit of a loss,” he says, “His list is also rather small and I—”

He cuts himself off as Doyoung starts to walk across the room to a control panel next to the circular platform. He holds out his hand and snaps his fingers. In a blink, Donghyuck’s folder is in his grasp. After tapping the surface of the console, the lights swirl together until an image appears.

Mark steps closer. There, in the middle of the platform, is a rotating, full-body hologram of Donghyuck. It isn’t like Mark hasn’t see this happen before. He’s used to seeing the 3D images of his matches—ones that are always so much better than just the picture that is attached to their files—but it’s the first time he’s thought that the image it creates gives the person no justice. As he moves up to the edge of the platform, he can’t stop himself from running his eyes over Donghyuck’s holo-self, feeling as if something is missing.

“That him?” Doyoung asks.

Nodding, he says, “Yeah, that’s him.” It takes a little longer for him to realize that he’s staring a little too much. He clears his throat and glances at Doyoung. “Um, you have his list?”

With a swipe of his hand on the panel, a list of scrolling names appear next to Holo-Donghyuck. “You’ve narrowed it, I assume?”

“Just to people in the same area as him,” he replies. “I figured it would make things easier.”

Doyoung hums and the list suddenly shortens to five names. “You’re right. That is a small list. That should make your job easier, so why do you need my help?”

“They just…” He studies the names. Lucas is still on there, despite his match with Renjun, but it’s expected. No matter what, Lucas could have an opportunity to match with Donghyuck at a later time. “They just don’t feel right.”

“Feel right?”

He nods. “Yeah. You know how you can look at a list and one just seems so much brighter than the others?”

“Brighter?”

Frowning, he asks, “You going to keep parroting me or are you going to help?”

“Look, Mark,” Doyoung leans on the panel, his eyes dark behind his glasses, “ _you’re_ the expert on the field. You deal with matches a lot more than I do.”

“And I’m telling you that something feels off,” he replies. “I can’t explain it. It’s just a strange feeling. Like, when I look at those names, none of them feel right. None of them feel _Donghyuck_.”

“Well, of course, they don’t. They _aren’t_ Donghyuck.”

A groan escapes his lips as he tosses his head back, squeezing his eyes shut. “No, that’s not—I’m not explaining this correctly.” He opens his eyes and waves a hand at Holo-Donghyuck. “Matching is always easy for me because the names—and consequently the people—feel compatible. None of them feel compatible. They just feel like names, and I know, somehow, that they don’t feel right.”

“They have to be,” Doyoung says, face set into something unreadable. “Mark, that’s his list. Those people are compatible to him, whether you feel it or not.”

“It’s not right,” he mutters. “Doyoung, I’m telling you: it doesn’t feel right.”

Pursing his lips, Doyoung scans Holo-Donghyuck’s body and then the list. For a moment, Mark thinks he’s about to argue again. Because, really, if anyone is going to know the inner dealings of lists and arrows, it’s going to be Doyoung. Sure, Mark uses them, but it’s Doyoung who monitors them, helps create them. It’s his magic and effort that goes into making sure each list is as it should be.

But then he turns to Mark and says, “Okay, listen. I’ll go over his list again, dig around a little bit, but it isn’t going to be easy and it certainly isn’t going to be quick. You have a job to do, so I suggest finding your next target and continuing on. If I find anything, I’ll let you know. Deal?”

Mark nods. “Yeah, deal. Thanks, Doie.”

“Don’t call me that,” he grumbles as Donghyuck’s folder vanishes from his hand and Holo-Donghyuck, along with the list of names, disappears from the platform.

He makes his way to the door, but before he leaves, he glances back and asks, “Hey, I’ve been thinking. Um, it’s just…is it possible he’s unmatchable?”

Doyoung’s brows furrow. “Every human is matchable, Mark.”

“But Donghyuck—”

“I admit that something strange is going on there, but he’ll get a match. He has to. It’s how the Fates work.”

Mark wants to agree. And a small part of him does because that’s just how things work. Still, another part of him feels like he isn’t convinced. If the Fates wanted Donghyuck matched, they would have done it already over the span of those eight lifetimes, or so he thinks.

To him, it just feels as if the Fates have abandoned him, just like the cupids did all those lifetimes ago.

*

Since being at HQ, Mark’s taken his time to check out the names on Donghyuck’s list. Other than Lucas, there are two more boys and two girls. Two of them are students at their university, one of them works at a bookstore downtown, and the other goes to school across town. Their ages range between two years older to one year younger than Donghyuck. None of them seem particularly bad, but Mark still has a strange feeling that stretches across his chest when he reads into their bios. He wonders if it’s because Donghyuck’s slowly giving up on love. Maybe it’s effecting the compatibility between himself and a possible match.

He really hopes not.

The two of them are at the library on Wednesday afternoon. Donghyuck has a paper due and Mark’s studying for a test, which results in a rather quiet environment, though Donghyuck still shoots him funny looks just to get Mark to snort a laugh. He’s also been stealing bits of Mark’s muffin he bought at the library café, but he’s given up trying to protect it.

The library hums with hushed whispers and the turning of pages. Light pours through the windows and across the many rows of books. Mark doesn’t remember the last time he read a book for fun. Cupids don’t get a lot of free time and the only books he’s read so far are the ones for his classes. Not exactly a thrilling adventure. He gazes at the many, many books and wonders if he has time to at least attempt recreational reading.

“What are you looking at?” Donghyuck’s eyes flick between Mark and where he thinks Mark is looking at. “Is there someone there or something?”

“No,” he says, “I was just thinking. Do you read?”

Donghyuck raises a brow. He looks cozy with his hair fluffy and his sweater oversized and thick. Whenever he goes to type, he has to keep pulling back the sleeves in order to free his hands. Mark thinks, in a way, it’s kind of cute. “Do I _read_?”

“Yeah, for, like, fun.”

“I mean, sometimes? I don’t get a lot of time to,” he says. “Why? Do you?”

Shaking his head, he says, “No. I kind of wish I did, though. I hear reading can be relaxing. I’d like to try it more.”

The expression he gets is somewhat mixed. Donghyuck’s eyebrows have fallen together, his head slightly tilted and his lips almost pursed. As if he’s confused. Mark thinks he’s only made himself out to be weirder than before. He doesn’t think he can benefit much from Donghyuck believing he’s any weirder.

“Anyway,” he continues, taping his pen at his notes, “I’m gonna, um, keep studying.”

“Sure.”

They fall back into a comfortable silence. Every now and again, Donghyuck’s hand reaches out to peel a piece of muffin away to eat. After a few more times, Mark pushes the whole thing closer to him. His heart stutters when Donghyuck beams at him, teeth shining, and pulls the muffin completely to his side and happily starts munching away. It takes a second for Mark to realize he’s watching, staring, and he clears his throat while directing his eyes back onto his notebook.

Nothing is sticking, however. His eyes are seeing, but not reading. He doesn’t know why his heart is fluttering or why his ears feel so hot. It’s just a smile, he tries to tell himself. Donghyuck smiles all the time. And, sure, Donghyuck has a really pretty smile, but it doesn’t warrant this reaction. It shouldn’t.

Mark doesn’t think he’s ever had this feeling and he wonders if he’s sick, even though cupids don’t get sick. Perhaps, staying in the human world has affected him a little too much. No cupid has ever spent this much time surrounded by humans, living among them, being seen like Mark has. Surely, it only makes sense for it to start to _do_ things to him.

Maybe he should have asked Doyoung about that, too. Or maybe even Taeyong. Both of them would have had an explanation for why he’s feeling the way he is.

He’s too deep into his thoughts when Donghyuck’s chair scrape43s along the library floor, startling him.

“Sorry,” Donghyuck whispers. “I’m just going to grab another resource. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”

“Do you need help?”

He’s waved off. “Nah, it’s fine. Keep studying. And I mean actually studying, not glaring at your notes, hoping they’ll combust.”

Mark blinks as Donghyuck smirks and wanders off along the row of book shelves. From here, Mark can still see him. Donghyuck follows the signs along the tops of the shelves, hands deep in his pockets. Maybe it’s because he’s so used to watching his charges all the time that it just feels natural to follow his every move. But he isn’t invisible, so he really needs to rein it in.

He’s about to turn back to his notes when Donghyuck stops, glances down one of the aisles, and waves at someone. The smile on his face is soft, friendly. It makes Mark wonder who it is.

Just as he leans forward a little to get a better view, a girl walks out. The first thing he notices is that she’s very pretty. Her hair is blond, drifting down her back in waves, and her eyes are bright, turning into crescents when she smiles at Donghyuck in greeting. It isn’t until she’s turned more toward him that he recognizes her.

Kim Minjeong.

Despite being a year younger, she shares one of Donghyuck’s classes. He knows she’s sweet, and often quiet. And the only reason he knows her is because she’s on Donghyuck’s list. She’s one of his True Loves.

Mark grips at his pen as he watches the two of them talk. They’re standing close, whispering to respect everyone studying around them. When Donghyuck says something, Minjeong covers her mouth to muffle her laugh.

Suddenly, Donghyuck’s eyes snap up and meet Mark’s. It startles him so much that he immediately drops back into his chair. His pen goes flying from his fingers and skids across the table. He follows it, slightly mortified at his own reaction. He wasn’t doing anything wrong. He was just checking on Donghyuck. That’s all.

So, why does he feel like he was doing something he shouldn’t? That he was seeing what he doesn’t have a right to?

He’s a cupid. Mark’s seen so much worse than couple’s talking. It’s never made him feel like this and he doesn’t even know how to explain it. It doesn’t make any sense.

He presses a hand to his chest, eyebrows drawing together in a frown. Even through his clothes, he can feel his heart beating. It isn’t fast, just hard, and it’s worrying. So worrying.

“You okay?”

His knee hits the table when he jumps at the sound of Donghyuck’s voice. He sucks in through his teeth as the pain settles in.

Before Donghyuck can ask his question again, Mark nods and grits out, “Fine. I’m fine.”

“How’s your knee?”

Mark kind of hates that Donghyuck’s trying not to smile, his tone a little amused. “It’s wonderful,” he bites out.

Not even bothering to hide his entertainment anymore, Donghyuck snorts. “Didn’t mean to startle you that bad. You sure you’re good?”

Rubbing at his knee, he reaches over the table to snatch up his pen. “Yeah, I’m good. Um, who—Who was that?”

Donghyuck tilts his head. “Who? Oh, that’s Minjeong.”

It isn’t that Mark thought he was wrong, but it’s good to have the validation. He nods, glancing down the aisle. Minjeong isn’t there anymore and he doesn’t know why he feels okay with that.

Because he shouldn’t. He should be jumping up and chasing after her. He should be calling on Donghyuck’s arrow to pierce her heart and draw them together. Yet, here he is, sitting at the table and not planning on moving if he can help it.

“She’s from one of my classes,” Donghyuck adds as he drags his laptop closer and opens the book he just retrieved. “I should have introduced you.”

“Next time,” he answers.

Silence stretches between them. He’s not sure if it’s just him, but it feels a smidge awkward. Donghyuck isn’t bringing up the fact that he found Mark watching him and he’s wondering if he should, if he should apologize or make an excuse for it.

The minutes tick by. He isn’t studying anymore. His mind is too clustered and he can’t make sense of it all.

Hesitantly, he asks, “I have a question.”

Donghyuck lifts his gaze from his laptop. “Sure.”

“Um.” For some reason, meeting Donghyuck’s eyes is suddenly really difficult. “Do you…How do you feel about girls?”

“Girls?”

“Yeah, like, do you like them?”

The corner of Donghyuck’s lips twitch. “Doesn’t everyone? They aren’t demons.”

He shakes his head. Eros, he shouldn’t have asked. He shouldn’t have done this. “No, I mean, do you, like, _like_ like them?”

“Mark, we aren’t twelve,” Donghyuck laughs. “If you’re asking me if I’d date a girl, my answer would be: yeah. I’m not against it, anyway. I just tend to prefer,” he gestures at Mark, “guys, I guess.” Mark’s heart leaps. “You?”

He stills. “Me?”

“Yeah, you. We always talk about me and my dating, but what about you? Do you have a preference or a type, even?”

Now, that’s something he’s never been asked before. For good reason. As a cupid, that’s not something they care about, that they need. He’s not even sure how to answer the question.

“I don’t,” he starts, “really have one.”

“A preference or a type?”

“Both?”

“So, you’re just open? You don’t have anything in particular you like?”

Mark shrugs. “Not really? I haven’t really thought about it.”

At that, Donghyuck leans back in his chair, frowning. “Mr. Hopeless Romantic has no preferences, at all? I find that incredibly hard to believe, Mark.”

His ears are warm. He can’t stop himself from rubbing at one of them in the hopes that it’ll help. “I don’t know.”

“I think you just don’t want to tell me,” Donghyuck says. He presses a hand to his chest in mock hurt and gasps. “You’re so mean to me. I tell you my secrets and you won’t share yours? I see a power imbalance, an absolutely unfair situation. How dare you, Mark? How _dare_ you?”

Cracking a smile, he says, “There’s just not much to tell.”

Donghyuck shakes his head. His eyes twinkle in the sunlight. “I just don’t think that’s true. You’re a mystery, Mark, and I will figure you out. I promise you.”

Mark knows he shouldn’t be worried. Donghyuck finding out the truth seems impossible, but there’s something about the way Donghyuck says it that sparks something in him. He drops his gaze onto his notes before glancing to the side, trying not to think about it.

Licking his lips, he looks back at Donghyuck and asks, “Do you want to go back to the dorm? I don’t think I’m going to be studying anymore.”

Donghyuck shuts his laptop, grinning. “I’ll start up the movie and you order the pizza?”

He laughs. “You got it.”

*

It isn’t every day that Donghyuck’s friends come over to the dorm to hang out, having their own places off-campus to be at, but on one particular Saturday, Mark is sitting on Donghyuck’s floor next to Jeno while Lucas, Renjun, and Donghyuck crash on his bed. They’ve pulled their small dining table into the room and set up Donghyuck’s laptop to play a show. No one is really playing attention to it, but it’s there for background noise.

It’s been about a week since Lucas and Renjun started dating and Mark’s kind of proud of himself for it. Of course, he didn’t do much. The feelings were already there. But he at least edged them closer together and they’re happy. They showed up at the front door with their fingers intertwined and Lucas has ultimately refused to let his boyfriend go too far. According to Jeno, it’s kind of annoying. Still, Mark is happy that they’re finding love in each other. A cupid always likes to know their job’s worked out for the better.

And, luckily, Donghyuck was extremely happy for them both, as well. Granted, he had shaken Renjun quite hard when he found out, a little upset that Renjun had never admitted his feelings and that Donghyuck had gone on a date with Lucas, completely clueless to it all, but he still beamed at them, squealed about how cute they were and Mark had to cover his mouth to hide his smile.

“God, I hope the pizza comes soon,” Renjun says, leaning back into Lucas while he keeps his eye on the laptop. “My stomach is starting to eat itself.”

“You did order it, right?” Donghyuck asks Mark.

He nods. “It should be here soon.”

“Not soon enough,” mumbles Renjun. He sinks down a bit in Lucas’ arms, who casts a soft smile down on him.

Mark doesn’t get to hang out with many people a lot of the time. Sure, he has Jaemin and Yuta, though, even then, he doesn’t get to see them as often because of their jobs. Hanging out with Donghyuck’s friends on and off, for hours on end, is surprisingly really nice. He enjoys their time together because they’re entertaining and funny and, overall, easy company. Mark’s pretty sure, upon going back to HQ, he’s going to miss doing this sort of thing.

“I’m getting another drink,” Donghyuck announces as he puts down his empty can and rolls out of his bed. “Anyone want anything?”

Lucas wants a refill, but the rest shake their heads. He dips out of the room.

“Actually,” Renjun calls, “can you grab me another?”

Donghyuck says back from the kitchenette, “Get it yourself, lazy. I’m not your slave.”

“You’re getting Lucas one.”

Walking back into the bedroom, he replies, “That’s because Lucas is nice to me.”

“I think you’re just picking favorites and I’m not sure how I feel about that,” Renjun admits. Lucas takes the can from Donghyuck, pops it open, and hands it to Renjun to take a sip.

“Relax,” Donghyuck teases. “I don’t like your boyfriend.”

Renjun frowns. “You went on a date with him.”

“We talked about this. It was a hang out, in the end. Get over it, grumpy.” Donghyuck crawls up onto the bed to sit beside them. “I spent most of my time kicking his ass at bowling than looking at it.”

“I feel slightly offended by that,” Lucas mutters.

Mark and Jeno exchange a look before snorting out laughter. He tries not to be too loud, when he looks up, he catches Donghyuck’s gaze. His smile is bright, almost proud. Mark feels his ears go hot.

He doesn’t even register Jeno leaning in until he’s whispering in Mark’s ear, “How are things with you and Hyuck?”

“Sorry?” he asks.

Jeno juts his chin toward the bed where Renjun’s started to wrestle Donghyuck into the pillows. “You two seem really comfortable around each other. Honestly, I shouldn’t be shocked. Donghyuck has a way of drawing people in. I was just curious, though. Living together is going all right?”

To be honest, it’s never been not all right, he thinks. Donghyuck’s an easy person to live with. They’ve never had any issues, never had a fight or any frustration. It’s easy. Comfortable, even. Sure, they bicker sometimes, but it’s never serious. Mark can’t imagine not living with Donghyuck. Even when he’s being childish or chaotic or snarky, there’s just something about him that makes Mark feel grounded.

That’s something he doesn’t get to feel very often. As a cupid, he’s always moving, always coming and going, always so focused on everyone else but himself. Being with Donghyuck clears all that away and Mark wonders how he can live without that once he leaves.

A part of him really doesn’t want to.

“It’s going good,” he replies, hugging his knees. The floor is a bit uncomfortable now and he wishes he had taken Donghyuck’s offer for a pillow like Jeno had. “I like living with him.”

“I think he likes living with you, too.”

He picks at his nails. “Yeah?”

“Well, he never stops talking about how amazing you are, so I would imagine so, yeah,” Jeno teases with a grin. It makes his eyes crinkle. “I haven’t seen him this happy in a really long time. Like I said, he draws people in, but it’s hard to make them stay. It can take a toll on someone. But I’ve never seen him smile this brightly before.”

“You guys stayed,” he points out.

Jeno hums. “Yeah, we did. And I think we’re the lucky ones. Everyone else is missing out.”

“I’m inclined to agree.”

“I’m glad you think so,” he says. “You’re quickly becoming one of his best friends. I feel like I should be threatened I’m going to be replaced.”

Mark whips his head around. “No! I wouldn’t—No, that would never happen. Donghyuck loves you guys.”

The smile he receives is small, soft. “You’re a good guy, Mark. I’m glad you’re here.”

There’s no doubt in his mind that he’s glad he’s here, too.

A knock comes at the door and they all pause. Mark is the first one to his feet.

“Is it the pizza? They didn’t call,” Donghyuck says, frowning at his phone.

Mark heads for the door. Usually, the person delivering has them come down to the lobby. They’ve never come to the door. And everyone who would want to see them is in this dorm. He hopes it isn’t a noise complaint.

But when he opens the door, his body tensing and he wishes it _was_ a noise complaint. He notices the bright pink hair before the wicked grin and his stomach drops. A waft of pizza fills the dorm—somewhere in the background, Renjun calls out for it, for Mark to hurry up and bring it to them.

“Aren’t you going to let me in, Markie?” Jaemin inquires, grin still in place, head tilting playfully.

Wordlessly, Mark steps back to let Jaemin enter. Two pizza boxes are in his hands and Mark wonders if Jaemin used his magic or if he somehow coerced the deliverer to hand them over. Mark wouldn’t be shocked with either.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, the moment he finds his voice.

Jaemin isn’t just visiting. He’s corporeal. Properly visible to anyone who walks by. Which means everyone in Donghyuck’s room could see him the moment they look out. He’s here. Actually here. Mark isn’t sure what to think or feel.

“Mark, you o—” Donghyuck halts on the threshold of his bedroom. His eyes go round the moment he sees Jaemin. Mark wants to know what he’s thinking because after a moment, they reduce back to normal size and he offers a casual smile. “Hi. Um, you have our pizza.”

Jaemin holds out the boxes. “That I do. Smells amazing.”

“Yeah, it does.” His eyes flick to Mark and then back to Jaemin. “I’m sorry, but do you know Mark?”

“I do, actually. We work together.” This time, it’s Mark’s turn for his eyes to widen. He shoots Jaemin a panicked expression, but Jaemin carries on, “We’ve known each other for several years, right, Mark?”

Donghyuck’s eyebrows furrow. “I didn’t know you worked.”

“I don’t,” he blurts. “I mean, I did. I don’t anymore. I stopped before coming back to school. Jaemin means that we _worked_ together. As in, no longer do. At the present time.”

“Right,” Jaemin says, smile just a tad bit sly. Mark hates it. “You must be Donghyuck.”

“I am. It’s nice to meet you.”

An awkward tension fills the room and Mark feels as if he’s suffocating. He wants Jaemin out. He wants to go back to hanging out. He wants to eat that pizza.

The moment is broken by Renjun calling out for the pizza again. It jolts Donghyuck into motion. He licks his lips, glances at his room, and then back toward Jaemin. “Um, we aren’t doing much, but if you want to come in and hang out, you can.”

“Thank you,” Jaemin says. “I would love to.”

Donghyuck gives a bit of a stiff nod before rushing into his room. The second Jaemin starts to follow, Mark snatches his wrist and yanks him back.

“What are you doing here?” he hisses.

“Checking in,” Jaemin answers. “I heard you came back to HQ. Didn’t even bother to visit me. Rude. But Doyoung mentioned that you were moving onto a new target and I figured I would drop by and see how you’re getting on with it.” He places his hands on his hips. “Instead, I find you here, not working, but stuffing your face with pizza?”

“I’m working on it,” he grits out. “I have the next target. I just need to actually—you know—hit her with the arrow.”

Jaemin scoffs. “Want to tell me what’s taking you so bloody long?”

“It’s a delicate process.”

“I think you just don’t want to leave.”

Mark rears back. It feels like he’s been punched in the heart.

“I think,” Jaemin continues, “that you’ve grown fond of Donghyuck and you don’t want to leave him.”

“You know we—”

“I didn’t say you were in love with him. I said ‘fond’. You know, as well as all of us, that we can at least form a connection.” Jaemin sighs, hands falling at his sides. “I want to say I understand, but I really don’t. This isn’t your home, Mark. Your home is at HQ. You’re a cupid. You aren’t human, no matter how much you try to pretend you are. You can’t prolong the inevitable. One day, he’s going to get matched and you _will_ need to come home.”

“I know that,” he argues, trying to keep his voice down. “I do. I _know_ that.”

Jaemin studies his face, expression unreadable. “Do you, though?”

Before he can reply, Donghyuck’s voice comes from the bedroom. “You okay out there?”

Mark rolls out his shoulders and beckons Jaemin to follow him back into the room. “Yeah, we’re fine. Um, guys, this is Jaemin. Jaemin this is Renjun, Lucas, and Jeno.”

“Nice to meet you all,” Jaemin greets. He glances at Jeno and grins. “Didn’t know Mark kept such adorable company.”

The flush on Jeno’s cheeks is near scarlet and it only gets worse when Jaemin wanders over to take Mark’s old spot on the floor. Oh, Eros. He hopes Jaemin isn’t going to mess with Jeno. That would be too cruel.

“Are you sure everything’s all right?” Donghyuck mutters as Mark leans in to steal a piece of pizza.

He tries to smile as nicely as he can, calm and collected even though his mind is racing and his heart is hammering. “Yeah, promise.”

Fortunately for him, the next couple of hours go by rather smoothly and, slowly, he starts to relax. Jaemin’s always been good company. He’s witty and charming. He wins people over so easily. Mark thinks his friends never stood a chance the moment Jaemin stepped into the room, especially Jeno.

Jaemin’s not above flirting with people. He does it with cupids, as well. It’s in his natural DNA. He doesn’t get anything out of it, except some flustered faces or—if he’s lucky—someone who will take the challenge and flirt back, but he does it anyway.

Mark remembers asking what the point was. Cupids don’t date, they don’t fall in love. There’s no reason for it. At least, with humans, there’s an outcome. But Jaemin had only smiled and said he found it fun to try and throw people off a little. Mark has come to the conclusion a long time ago that he will never understand Jaemin.

It’s nearing ten when Donghyuck comes back from the kitchen to grab his coat. “We don’t have any chips and I have a craving. I’ll be back.”

Mark isn’t sure why he does it, but he’s on his feet in seconds. “I’ll come with you.”

On his way out, he shoots Jaemin a look that he hopes tells him to be good. Perhaps, he should have more worries about leaving Jaemin and the rest of them inside the dorm without himself there, but he doesn’t find it particularly all that difficult.

The cool breeze brushes along his cheekbones and cuts through the fabric of his jacket. He zips up to his neck and tucks his chin deep into the collar. Beside him, Donghyuck pushes his hands deep into his pockets, cheeks already a bit pink.

Above them, the sky’s become dark and cloudy. Mark can taste the moisture in the air. He hopes it won’t rain until they get back, or maybe much later into the night. Together, they walk down the almost empty streets toward the nearest convenience store.

“Jaemin seems nice,” Donghyuck says, breaking the silence.

Mark nods. “Yeah, he’s a character.”

“I don’t remember you mentioning him before. Where did you guys work together?”

Mark never realized how much he hated lying until he started doing it every day. Or maybe he just hates lying to Donghyuck specifically. It makes his heart feel heavy, his hands a little clammy. He chews his lip, thinking.

“Um, we worked at a counselling agency,” he replies, voice muffled by his collar.

At that, Donghyuck glance his way with his brows furrowed. “Counselling?”

“Yeah, for, um,” he pauses, “relationships?”

“Like, interns?”

Not even the moisture in the air can help his throat from becoming dry. “Kind of.”

“That’s cool,” Donghyuck says. “You’d be a good relationship counsellor.”

“You think so?”

“I mean, you’ve been helping me and you always seem to know what to say to make it not seem like the end of the world,” he answers. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Mark stares at the ground, unsure of how to even look at Donghyuck after that. “Thank you, but I think you’re overestimating me.”

“Or maybe you’re underestimating yourself.”

It’s then he chances a glance. Donghyuck is already looking back at him, eyes twinkling in the streetlights, cheeks and nose blush pink from the cold, and a smile tugging at his lips. Mark can’t stop the thought of ‘he’s pretty’ from crossing his mind, but once it’s there, once it registers, it shocks his body. He stumbles and would have nearly faceplanted if it weren’t for Donghyuck reaching out for his arm to catch him.

No, he thinks. It isn’t anything to worry about. It’s just a standard observation. That’s all.

“You okay? Mark?”

He snaps his head up and Donghyuck’s face is a lot closer than he expects it to be. He jumps back, heart shuddering in his chest. Donghyuck peers at him, a look of concern flickering across his features.

“Um—” Bright lights catch his attention and he stutters out, “The—The convenience store. There. I mean, it’s right there, so we should go.”

As gently as he can, he pulls his arm from Donghyuck’s grip and hurries the short distance to the shop. Donghyuck rushes after at him, barely catching the door before it closes on him. While Donghyuck starts grabbing what he came for, Mark ends up wandering the store aimlessly, trying to sort himself out.

Jaemin is right. Cupids have the ability to feel things, platonic things. Mark’s certain that what he feels for Donghyuck must be that because it can’t be anything else. It isn’t possible for him, no matter what happens. And, yet, he can’t seem to calm his heart, and his stomach is doing the oddest swish inside him.

Thinking Donghyuck is attractive is an okay thing, he thinks. Hell, Mark isn’t blind. It’s just that he’s never felt so effected by someone’s looks before. Or maybe he’s just feeling it because he knows Donghyuck and all he’s feeling is—what did Jaemin call it?— _fond_.

That’s it.

That’s all it can be.

He’s still working it out when Donghyuck goes up to pay. Mark watches as he smiles at the cashier and chats with them as if they’re friends. Friendly to a fault, Mark would think. It’s impossible to look away; to stare as he hands over the cash, eyes shining, and takes the change. He laughs and something in Mark’s chest squeezes. He’s never liked a sound more.

He sighs. There are so many good things about Donghyuck and the fact that Mark can’t seem to get anyone to really notice—notice enough to want to keep him forever at their side—is beyond him. He’s nothing if not total sunshine. So, why can’t anyone see that? Why is Mark the only one?

The moment Donghyuck turns toward him, Mark shakes his head, trying to clear the thoughts away. Tonight, isn’t the night to think these things. No matter what Jaemin says, tonight is for hanging out and having fun. Mark is going to take full advantage of it.

“Ready?” Donghyuck asks.

Mark opens the door for him, but the second they step out, the rain starts to spit. He can hear Donghyuck click his tongue.

“We should hurry,” he says.

They don’t run, but they speed their way down the streets. It doesn’t quite work out in their favor, however, because the rain starts to pour down on them halfway there. Mark takes Donghyuck’s wrist and tugs him along the street before shoving them both under a store’s awning.

Water seeps into his clothes and his hair is plastered to his face. The rain falls so hard that it hurts and Mark knows they’re going to be completely soaked through by the time they get home.

“Just our luck, huh?” Donghyuck says as he looks out along the wet road and sidewalks. The last few people on the street are scurrying to find shelter. “Should have brought an umbrella.”

Rain sticks to Donghyuck’s eyelashes and rolls down his cheeks, yet he’s still grinning. Bright. So bright.

“Think running would help?” he continues. “Then again, we’re already wet enough, so that might not help our case.”

He doesn’t know why he does it. It’s a horrible idea and it’s such a waste, but he reaches behind him and something solid fills out his hand. He brings it up, popping out the umbrella and covering them. Donghyuck gazes up at it with lips slightly parted and eyes round.

“W-Where did that come from?” He searches around them as if he can find the root of the item.

“It was right there,” Mark says, pointing at a spot next to the store’s door.

Donghyuck frowns. “You’re stealing an umbrella?”

“Well, someone left it there,” he lies. “Clearly, they don’t want it.”

The expression he gets is nothing short of incredulous. Donghyuck doesn’t believe him. Not completely, anyway. But he has nothing to prove otherwise.

“Okay,” he says, finally. “Let’s go then?”

Mark presses closer in order to cover them both. As they walk, the rain thundering around them, his shoulder keeps brushing against Donghyuck’s. Despite the cool air, Donghyuck seems to radiate warmth and it only draws him nearer. He finds he doesn’t mind Donghyuck being close, right next to him with hardly any space to separate them. In fact, a small part of him craves for it, especially when they reach the building and Mark closes the umbrella and Donghyuck looks at him with those eyes and that smile and—

It’s terrifying, but he also kind of likes it.

*

Mark has to go invisible when it comes time to set Minjeong up with Donghyuck and he’s not pleased. Jaemin ends up reappearing that morning, despite not knowing Mark’s plan for the day—or maybe he does somehow—and follows him along the corridors of one of their campus buildings toward Donghyuck’s class. His presence doesn’t help the weird feeling inside Mark that tells him he shouldn’t be doing this.

Maybe it’s too early. Maybe Minjeong isn’t going to work. Nothing seems to be feeling right these days and it’s driving him mad.

“You won’t know until you try,” Jaemin says as they step up to the door of the class, as if he can sense Mark’s hesitation. “Sometimes the first target doesn’t work.”

“I really don’t think that’s what this is,” he replies. “It just—” No, he can’t even explain it, so what’s the point? “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

It’s been a while since he phased through anything and, somehow, it feels odder than it used to. He thinks he’s out of practice. It’s the only reasonable explanation for the tingles that crawl over the surface of his body.

Three people fill each table, set up on two rows. The professor wanders from one end of the projection screen to the other as he speaks. Mark ignores it all, his eyes landing on Donghyuck the second he’s inside the room. He’s sitting between two people. One of them is a boy, tall and handsome with a strong jaw and striking eyes. The other is Minjeong, as pretty as always.

Jaemin doesn’t wait for Mark. He steps in front of the table and bends down to get a good look at Minjeong. “She’s very pretty. Yeah, she’ll look really nice with him.”

“There are more important things about matches than how they look together,” he grumbles, moving closer.

“Oh, I know. Doesn’t mean they won’t look good,” says Jaemin. “So, when are you going to shoot her?”

Mark narrows his eyes at him before walking behind Donghyuck. He sneaks a peek at his notes and bites down a smile. A series of doodles fill the margins. They’re cute. At the top of the page is a note about a group project and he wonders if that’s the next thing Donghyuck’s going to be stressing over.

“I’ll do it after class. I don’t want to intone while she’s focusing.”

“How kind of you,” Jaemin quips.

Intonation isn’t Mark’s favorite thing to do, but it comes with the job. To shoot someone with an arrow comes the moment where he has to whisper in their ear and guide them. Sometimes, it doesn’t feel right. Sometimes, he doesn’t even do it, at all. He’ll pierce them with the arrow and let them decide what they want to do about this newfound bond he’s created.

It may just be how his job is, but he dislikes having to shove a human in a certain direction. Intonation renders a person still—almost like they’re on pause— and allows him to step in. It’s how he got Lucas to make the call to Donghyuck in the first place. Mark thinks that doing it in the middle of class is just cruel. He’s not going to mess with Minjeong at this point in time.

He steps back around the table, grabs Jaemin’s arm and pulls him through the door once more. Class will be over in less than five minutes, so it’s not much of a wait.

“You’re procrastinating,” Jaemin says, leaning up against the wall.

“I’m not.”

“You are. You could so easily just hit her with the arrow and be done with it. Instead, you’re out here waiting for them to come out.”

Mark decides to ignore him. He isn’t procrastinating. He’s not. He knows what he’s doing and if Jaemin doesn’t like it, he doesn’t need to be here. There are plenty of other things Jaemin should probably be doing anyway. He probably has his own charge to take care of.

For the waiting time, Jaemin keeps quiet and Mark starts to pace in front of the door. Every few seconds he glances to the clock. He doesn’t understand why he feels so jittery. He’s done this before, so why does it feel like he’s nervous? Why are his hands shaking? Why won’t his heart calm down?

The door opens and Mark jumps, shuffling out of the way as the students pour from the room. He searches for Donghyuck and, sure enough, he’s one of the last out of the room. The boy he was sitting with and Minjeong are still with him. The boy waves at them both and wanders off, but Minjeong and Donghyuck take off down the hallway in the opposite direction. Mark and Jaemin follow them.

“Any time, Mark,” Jaemin hisses.

He shushes him.

Donghyuck and Minjeong don’t stop until they’re out of the building. Mark tries not to pay attention to the way the sun reflects off Donghyuck’s eyes and skin, making him look as though he was dipped in gold. Instead, he focuses in on Minjeong, stepping around her so he can face her. She really is so pretty.

“I’ll text you and Seongsoon about the group project,” she tells Donghyuck. “He’s the only one who we might have trouble pinning down because of his job. But, other than that, we should be good to go.”

“Thanks,” says Donghyuck. “I’m honestly glad I have you two in my group, considering who I could have been stuck with.”

She chuckles. “Oh, I totally agree.”

Jaemin joins him. “Your bow, Mark. Get your bow.”

He holds out his hand and closes it around the bow that’s appeared. It hums in his fingers as he draws it up, his other hand wrapped around Donghyuck’s arrow. The gold of the stem glitters like Donghyuck does. He nocks it and pulls back the string, tightly.

When he lets it go, it sinks into Minjeong’s heart. Everything slows down around them, coming to a complete stop. His magic wanes slightly. He’s been invisible for too long and the gem in his ring is turning paler. He needs to hurry.

“You’re interested in Donghyuck,” Mark says, stepping closer to Minjeong so he’s hovering at her shoulder. “Your heart is whispering it. It’s time to ask him if he would want to hang out outside of school. There’s no pressure. It doesn’t have to work out. But a try is worth it. Give it a try, Minjeong. I promise…” His voice drifts as he glances at Donghyuck, still frozen in time, and his chest aches. “I promise he’s worth the chance.”

Stepping back, he catches Jaemin’s eye. He studies Mark, but says nothing. Mark waves his hand and sound comes rushing in around them and everyone begins to move.

“I guess I’ll see you later then,” Donghyuck says with a smile.

Minjeong blinks a couple of times before shaking her head as if clearing it. Some people feel the intonation more than others, Mark has come to notice. But Minjeong is fairly quick at pulling herself together because her shoulders straighten and her voice is steady.

“Before you go, I was hoping I could ask you something,” she says. When Donghyuck waits, she asks, “Would you want to go on a date with me?”

Donghyuck’s lips part in surprise. “Oh, I—”

“No pressure, of course,” she adds, hurriedly. “We don’t even need to call it a date if you don’t want to, but I just—I like talking to you, Donghyuck, and I would love to get to know you more. If that’s something you’d be interested in?”

There’s a second where Mark is sure Donghyuck is going to say no. He can sense the hesitation. He can see the awkward shift in Donghyuck’s stance as he looks at everything but Minjeong. While Mark thinks he may need to shoot Donghyuck with Minjeong’s arrow, he desperately doesn’t want to do that. Just like with Lucas, Donghyuck’s been through enough—enough people and relationships—and Mark wants him to want this himself. Without any interference. Or, at least, _more_ interference.

But then Donghyuck meets Minjeong’s gaze, smiles, and says, “I would like that.”

Minjeong beams. “Great! I’ll text you the details. Bye, Donghyuck.”

“Bye,” he says, waving as she rushes off. Once she’s out of sight, his shoulders droop and he sighs. “God, Donghyuck, what have you gotten yourself into?”

He wanders off and Mark doesn’t follow him, but he does watch him go until he disappears inside another building. Jaemin takes his wrist and there’s a jolt as the world whooshes around them and pieces itself together in the form of his dorm room.

Mark lowers his invisibility. His eyes struggle to focus and he sits on the end of his bed. His magic is weakening and he knows he doesn’t have much left until it’s gone completely. By the looks of it, he’s reached a halfway point. It disappears so quickly.

As the dizziness settles, he says, “I don’t think he’s all that excited about the date.”

“At least he’s going on it,” Jaemin points out. “It’s a step, Mark. You just need one good match and you can come home.” He kneels between Mark’s legs and cups his face so they have to look at each other. His expression is soft as he says, “You’re doing the right thing. You’re going to make him happy. I promise, this is what’s for the best.”

“And if it doesn’t work?”

“Have faith,” Jaemin tells him. “You’ve never been one to second guess your matches. Mark, you’re one of the best matchers out there. Find that confidence again because that’s the only way this is going to work out for Donghyuck. Understand?”

Mark nods. “Yeah. Yeah, I understand.”

Yet, he can’t seem to shake the feeling that nothing about this seems right.

*

Donghyuck is quiet when he comes home, but it doesn’t take long before he’s telling Mark that a girl from his class asked him out and he said yes.

“Why do you sound so disgruntled about it?” Mark inquires.

Donghyuck shakes his head. “I don’t know. I mean, Minjeong is a great girl. She’s nice and friendly. Pretty, too. I just didn’t expect for her to ask me out and I guess I never really thought of her that way.”

“Well, maybe this is a good thing,” he says. “Maybe this is a good time to see if you guys click, you know? Without being forced to communicate in class.”

Unfortunately, Donghyuck doesn’t seem all that convinced. Still, he ends up replying with a bland, “I guess.”

From there, they don’t talk about it much until Minjeong texts Donghyuck about the date and the time and the meet up place. It happens while they’re watching a movie later into the night and Mark finds himself wanting to pluck the phone out of Donghyuck’s hands and start up the movie again. He doesn’t, but the urge is stronger than he’s ready for. He forces himself to sit on his hands.

That Friday, Donghyuck is digging through his closet with Mark on his bed and his clothes everywhere while he tries to find the right thing to wear.

“I don’t want to be too casual, but I don’t want to be too formal, either,” Donghyuck explains.

“It’s just a cafe, right?” he asks. “The one down the street a bit?”

Donghyuck holds up an army green bomber jacket. “Yeah, so nothing super fancy. What do you think of this?”

He likes it and tells him so. “Donghyuck, you’re overthinking again. You look great in everything. She isn’t going to care what the color of your shirt is. And if she is, then that’s a little ridiculous.”

“I just want to look good,” he mutters, cheeks a little pink.

Sighing, Mark rolls off the bed. He gently moves Donghyuck away from the closet and starts sifting through it. He takes out a black t-shirt, a pink hoodie, and a pair of ripped jeans.

“Isn’t a hoodie too casual?”

“On you? No.” The truth comes out so easily, and he watches as Donghyuck’s cheeks flush darker. “Trust me. Wear the bomber, too. You’ll look great.”

Glancing down at the pile in his hands, he asks, “Don’t you think this should feel—I don’t know—better?”

“Better?”

He rolls his eyes up to the ceiling. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. I don’t want to get her hopes up.”

“She said this was just to try, right? That there was no pressure?”

“Well, yeah, but people go on dates hoping to either get some or to continue having more dates. It just feels weird going into this one not really feeling it, you know?”

“But for all you know, she could be the one you’re looking for.”

Donghyuck frowns. “Shouldn’t I know? Shouldn’t I feel _something_?”

“Tons of people go through their lives looking at everyone but the person right under their nose,” he says. “Trust me. I’ve seen it. Best friends that never realized their feelings were more than just platonic. Enemies and rivals where the line’s blurred from hate to love and it just hasn’t clicked. Maybe you just haven’t given her the moment to show you she could be the one. The only way to know is to go hang out with her for a bit. See if some sparks fly.”

“You know, you’re really invested in making me take chances on love,” Donghyuck says, tilting his head slightly. “Why?”

He shrugs, shuffling his feet. “Everyone deserves to have love in their lives, especially you. I just want you to see how good it can be when you find someone worthwhile. But sometimes that means going through some awkward dates before you find that someone special.”

Without thinking about it, he reaches up to brush Donghyuck’s fringe from his face. Donghyuck’s eyes widen slightly, unable to look away. Mark’s realized, over the last little while, that Donghyuck has really nice eyes. They’re round and expressive and even if he tries to school his features into something blank, his eyes always give him away. It’s so easy to tell because they brighten, almost like glittering gold when he’s happy, when he’s pleased, but they can also sink into something so much darker when he’s sad or frustrated. Right now, they’re darker, but they’re wide. While Mark’s never really understood what kind of emotion Donghyuck’s sharing when this happens, he can tell there’s something there. Something almost untouchable.

But Mark yearns to know. Aches for it even, especially lately. He wants to know everything about Donghyuck, how he ticks, what he thinks. It’s something new and exciting, but it’s also horrifying and Mark trembles at the thought of it. It’s like he can’t control it. And, as Donghyuck’s cheeks turn pink, he finds himself wanting to reach out and brush his fingers over the flushed skin, to feel if there’s heat there like he had once before. Still, he holds himself back.

He clears his throat as he, reluctantly, brings back his hand and shoves it into his pocket. An awkward silence settles around their shoulders like a weighed blanket.

“Um, yeah, so,” he stutters, “date.”

“Date,” Donghyuck agrees, voice a little distant and eyes a bit glazed. He blinks again to bring them back into focus. “Right. Minjeong.”

“Minjeong,” he parrots. Stepping back, he adds, “You should go change and whatever. You’re going to be late.”

At that, Donghyuck plucks his phone off his desk and swears. He zooms toward the bathroom with Mark laughing after him.

*

Mark would like to say that the date is going well, and it is—to a certain extent—but it isn’t going _well_.

It isn’t like it’s bad. Minjeong and Donghyuck clearly get along. They’re both easy people to talk to, fun. Minjeong has a nice sense of humor that Donghyuck can fall easily into and vice versa. They smile and laugh and Mark has to say, they look good together.

They sit inside the café near the campus. Mark came here once before with Donghyuck and liked it. It’s quaint, cozy, and the food is good. The whole aesthetic is simple and clean. Donghyuck and Minjeong have taken a table near the front window in the sun. Mark, luckily, had managed to scoot inside with a hoodie over his head and a facemask, order something, and grab a table near the back that viewed them both well enough, all while not getting caught. It was definitely better than using up his powers. He’s just hoping Donghyuck doesn’t look over. He’s not sure how he’d explain it.

After about half an hour, the café goes quiet. There aren’t a lot of people around and, if Mark strains his ears, he can make out what the two of them are saying.

“I’m really glad you agreed to hang out with me,” Minjeong is saying as she plays with the straw of her ice coffee. “We really don’t get a lot of time to talk.”

“It’s true. It’s nice to not talk about class work for once.”

“Tell me about it,” she laughs. “Now, you get to see how weird I am without school as a backdrop.”

“Hey, I’m all for weirdness,” says Donghyuck. “What’s life without a little weird?”

Like having his love life set up by a cupid, Mark thinks. Is that weird enough?

“You said you lived off-campus, right?” Donghyuck asks.

Minjeong nods. “Yeah, just a street down. I was going to dorm, but I ended up getting a dog over break and, well, regulations. You want to see?”

She opens up her phone and slides it Donghyuck’s way. Instantly, his whole demeaner softens as he coos, picking up the phone to get a better look. Mark can’t look away.

“Oh, adorable,” he breathes. “Girl? Boy?”

“Girl. Her name is Boram and she’s only a half a year old,” she says as she takes the phone back. “I can’t imagine not having her in my life.”

“I can see why. Anyone would fall in love with her. I didn’t know you were a dog person.”

“I’m an animal person,” she corrects. “Love them all to bits. You?”

“Can’t say I’m not the same. They’re just too cute to hate. One day, I’d like to get a dog. Maybe two. And a cat. Actually, maybe I’ll just start up a sanctuary in my backyard.”

Minjeong coughs a laugh. “Oh, god, I’d love to see that.”

“It would be chaos, but adorable chaos, and I’m honestly all for that,” he says. “My parents wouldn’t let us have pets as a kid and I guess I have a need for it now. Find out what I missed out on.”

“Chewed up shoes and puddles to clean up,” Minjeong replies, straight-faced.

Donghyuck covers his mouth as he laughs. “You’re not wrong. But pets are the messy bits as much as the good bits in life. Sometimes, I wish I was a dog. They have such a nice life.”

“Or a cat,” she agrees. “We get to suffer from working and school and their biggest upset is whether or not they get fed on time.”

“It’s a really big deal, Minjeong,” he tells her. “Can you imagine being fed a minute too late? It’s the end of the world, I tell you.”

Mark bites a smile as Minjeong snorts. They really can keep up with each other. Overall, Mark thinks they have a great connection. The only problem is with their auras. While, he hasn’t been paying attention to them all that much over the last little while because it hasn’t seemed like a need, it feels useful now. Maybe because both of them are too pale of a pink to scream love. Or even like.

Clearly, they like each other, but the romantic undertones aren’t at the surface and he’s worried. If they can’t even see each other as romantic partners, this whole thing was for nothing. He’s not sure what he’s going to do.

Deep down, Mark knows they have potential. Minjeong wouldn’t be on Donghyuck’s list if they didn’t. But, much like Lucas, the situations have aligned in such a way that it’s almost as if they’ve missed their window. Or, perhaps, their window hasn’t arrived yet.

But Mark doesn’t have time to wait. He doesn’t have enough magic, and Donghyuck is slipping, his patience on love dwindling. If this date doesn’t work out, where do they go from here? Will Donghyuck even try again? Will Mark have the confidence to?

Because, in the grand scheme of things, he’s really starting to think that maybe he just can’t do this. Maybe Mark isn’t the cupid that can fix this whole situation like everyone thinks. Setting Donghyuck up on dates is difficult and the weariness is settling in his chest. Donghyuck deserves so much, but what if Mark can’t deliver?

“You know, I was kind of worried about asking you out,” Minjeong says, slowly. “You’re a really cool guy, but—I don’t know—I didn’t want to make things awkward, you know? Especially if this didn’t work out. If anything, I’d really like to be your friend.”

Sighing, Donghyuck picks at the edge of his napkin. “I’m kind of glad you’re thinking that, too. Honestly, I really like talking to you. You’re great. I’ve just had more than enough issues when it comes to dating and I’m still sort of figuring it all out.”

“I totally get it. About a month ago, my boyfriend of two years broke up with me and I’m still trying to figure it all out myself. It’s been a while.” She casts him a smile. “So, this can just be us hanging out as friends and getting to know each other. If something happens, something happens. But I’d much rather keep you as a friend if you’re up for it?”

Donghyuck holds out his hand and Minjeong laughs as she reaches over to shake it. “Deal, Miss Kim. Friends, it is.”

Mark hangs his head, his coffee going cold between his fingertips. Great, another failure. He’s so lost and confused. This has never been so hard. He’s always known what to do and, now, he can’t even convince himself to take out Donghyuck’s list and move onto the next person.

As inconspicuous as he can, Mark gets up from his table and heads out the door. After slipping into the alleyway right next door, he waves a hand over himself, shifting himself invisible. His body aches, tired and drained. He’ll need to be quick.

He slips back into the café and heads right for Minjeong. As gently as he can, he takes hold of the arrow pierced through her heart and pulls it out. Minjeong stills in her chair, her hand jerking the straw of her drink. The ice cubes clink together.

The arrow weighs heavy in his hand as he turns to Donghyuck. He’s eyes are trained on Minjeong, nodding along and smiling. He seems so comfortable. If anything, Mark finds himself pleased with that.

He goes to leave, lifts up his head to start out of the café, when he spots a familiar figure at the door. The way Yuta has his lower lip caught between his teeth sparks something in Mark. He walks over, frowning.

“What? What is it?” he asks, the arrow vanishing from his hand.

Yuta holds out his hand. “Doyoung wants to see you.”

“Is everything okay?”

“I think he should explain.”

Hesitantly, Mark takes his hand and the world slips out from under him.

*

He finds himself in Doyoung’s lab with Yuta still at his side. Sitting on the side of the platform is Jaemin while Doyoung hovers over a control panel, the holo-screen shifting through multiple views. Mark doesn’t wait for Doyoung to notice them. He lets go of Yuta’s hand and steps closer, calling out Doyoung’s name.

“Mark,” he greets, turning fully around. “Thanks for coming on such short notice.”

“What’s going on?”

Yuta still appears quite sullen, maybe even just a bit uneasy, as he crosses his arms over his chest and moves to lean against a table. Jaemin is the only one that attempts to smile, but it seems forced, not quite meeting his eyes. None of this puts Mark at ease. He glances at Doyoung, expecting to find some kind of answer in Doyoung’s expression. Unfortunately, he’s masked it too well.

“I said that I would do more research into Donghyuck for you and that I would let you know if I found something.”

Mark shifts, his nervousness turning into confusion. “Did you?”

He watches as Doyoung heads over to the platform Jaemin’s perched himself on and waves a hand over the console. A list of scrolling names appear in white. Mark can barely keep up with them.

“His list,” Doyoung starts, “is all True Loves.”

Frowning, he questions, “So?”

“Just True Loves, Mark. You didn’t look for his soulmate, did you?”

“His soulmate?” He blinks. “Not really. I just went with the people who were in the same area as him. Why?”

“Mark, his soulmate isn’t there.”

Something weighs down inside his chest as he studies Doyoung’s face, stern and unmoving. “You mean that you can’t find them on his list.”

“No,” he replies, calmly. “His soulmate isn’t _on_ the list. Donghyuck, doesn’t have a soulmate.”

It feels as if he’s been slapped, as if his mind has grinded to a halt. His eyes flick to the list, ever scrolling. Once it reaches the bottom, it starts all over again. One of the shortest lists Mark’s ever come across, but he’s never questioned it. Some people have more prospects than others. That’s never been a bad thing.

But to not have a soulmate. That’s unheard of. That’s not…

“Is that even possible?” he asks, voice barely a whisper.

“Normally, I would say no, but they aren’t there and I searched as hard as I could.” Doyoung gestures to the list. “The list never lies. Lee Donghyuck, doesn’t have a soulmate.”

Impossible. Not possible. It can’t be.

Mark steps closer, almost worried that if he gets too close then the list will disappear completely. “Do you think that’s why he’s struggling to stay matched?”

Nodding, Doyoung says, “It’s a probability. Perhaps, his lack of a soulmate is simply throwing things off. It’s the only reasonable explanation at this point. We’ve never had something like this happen before, and we’ve never had anyone be a cold case for so long, to be unmatchable. If his soulmate vanished, it could have shifted the Fates.”

“But he must have had one as some point,” Mark insists. “His first match on record, it was marked as a completed match. They lasted until they died.”

“Maybe something happened and they fell out of sync.”

“How? That makes no sense. That doesn’t just happen, Doyoung.”

The line of Doyoung’s shoulders droops as he glances over his shoulder at the list. “No, it doesn’t.”

If not having a soulmate has thrown Donghyuck’s love life out of commission than that means there may be nothing he can do to fix it. He might never be able to match Donghyuck up even if he keeps trying.

And that’s unfair.

It hurts.

Out of everyone, it had to be Donghyuck.

His heart feels like it’s bleeding as he demands, “So, what do I do? How do I fix it?”

“I don’t think you can.” Doyoung shakes his head. “If this is what’s messed it up, I have no answers for you. I searched high and low for his soulmate and I’ve found nothing. Mark, there may not be a choice. We might just have to let him go.”

“I can’t do that,” he says. “I can’t just let him not find love. I have to do _something_. Isn’t there any way his soulmate could come back or they could get back in sync or—”

Doyoung holds up his hand and Mark stops. “You know, no matter what, there’s always a soulmate. Never always the right age, never always romantic, sometimes—more often than not—platonic. But they’re always in flow of one another, regardless of all that. I can see someone’s soulmate even if they haven’t been born or if they’re on the verge of Death’s door. Donghyuck’s soulmate is gone. No trace. They don’t exist alive or dead or in limbo, waiting for a moment to be reborn. If this is what’s messed with him, you can’t do anything about it, Mark. You will be wasting your time and you know it.”

The backs of his eyes sting. “I can’t just leave him, Doie. He needs me.”

“He’s a human. You’re a cupid. This friendship that you’ve built up was never meant to last and you know it.”

“But he was meant to have someone!” Mark shouts. “I was meant to help him fall in love so that leaving wouldn’t hurt and now,” he lets out a shaky breath, “I’m meant to leave him without that? I can’t do that to him. I _can’t_.”

“There isn’t much of a choice, Mark. We need you back to do your job. I’m speaking with Taeyong after this and we’ll discuss where you’re meant to go from here.”

At Taeyong’s name, Mark steps back, his body tensing. “No. I’m not stopping.”

“Mark,” Yuta says, softly.

“I’m not just going to leave him high and dry,” he argues. “You wanted me to do this. You _all_ wanted me to do this. So, let me do this.”

“This was before I found out it was practically impossible for it to happen,” Doyoung snaps.

“Practically,” he says, crossing his arms. The gem of his ring digs into the underside of his arm. “Practically impossible. And I’m willing to take that smidge of a chance. You can’t stop me. I’m not leaving him.”

Before Doyoung—or even Yuta or Jaemin—can say anything, he blinks out of the lab. His feet can hardly hold him when he lands with solid ground beneath him. He fumbles, reaching out for the desk to stop himself from falling to the floor. His lungs burn, his muscles ache. Gasping, he falls back onto his bed, hoping the world will stop spinning.

He doesn’t know what will happen once he’s out of magic, but he hopes this pain will stop. Maybe he’ll feel normal, albeit a bit empty. At least until Taeyong lifts the charm and allows him to have all his unlimited abilities. All he knows is that he hates this stage. This stage of calling on his magic with hardly any in store. Sooner or later, he’ll be scraping the bottom of the barrel. He needs to be careful, but he also knows that he’s desperate.

It doesn’t matter if Donghyuck doesn’t have a soulmate. Mark’s going to help him, no matter what the cost. If that means losing his magic and not being able to go back without someone dragging him away, he’ll do it.

He jumps when the door to the dorm opens.

“Mark?”

“In my room,” he calls back as he shuffles back on the bed so that he’s leaning against the barred headboard.

Donghyuck’s shedding his jacket when he enters and tosses it onto Mark’s desk without a care in the world, like he owns Mark’s room as much as his own. Mark, of course, won’t tell him any different. He doesn’t mind.

Hopping up onto the bed, Donghyuck maneuvers himself so that his head is in Mark’s lap. Once he’s comfortable, he lets out a heaving sigh. Mark can feel his muscles relaxing.

“How was your date?” he asks, staring down at Donghyuck, whose eyes have fallen shut.

“Okay, I guess. I think we’re better off as friends,” he replies. “Which is just really sad because Minjeong is such a nice girl and we get along really well. There just wasn’t any…”

“Spark?”

Donghyuck’s eyes open, landing on Mark’s. “Yeah, spark.”

“At least you tried, right?”

“Mhmm,” he hums, shifting a bit. Mark’s hand lands in his hair. It’s so much softer than he expects it to be. Donghyuck doesn’t say anything, so he keeps running his fingers through it, enjoying the feeling. “I just feel like that’s sort of the story of my life. Oh, well. Suppose it could be worse.”

“You’re not still worried, are you?” he asks, furrowing his brows. “About not finding someone?”

“I think it’s natural to feel worried you’ll end up alone when you want someone at your side,” he mutters, eyelashes fluttering as Mark brushes his fringe back from his forehead. “So, yeah, I am. But I can’t rush it. Maybe something will happen. Or maybe there’s someone right under my nose.”

His eyes are dark as they stare up at Mark, roaming his face as if he’s trying to memorize it, appreciate it. Mark can’t look away. He takes in the slope of his cheeks, the thickness of his lashes. He trails along Donghyuck’s nose, button-like and cute, to his lips, pink and a little chapped. His own lips part as a thought of feeling Donghyuck’s lips against his own, tasting them, enters his mind and he can’t seem to shake it.

He’s not sure he wants to shake it.

There’s a pull, an urge. Mark’s been feeling it for far too long. It’s not only in his heart, but his entire body. Everything is screaming at him to bend down and kiss Donghyuck right then and there, to let his hands run over him, terrified he’ll disappear. Or maybe terrified that _he’ll_ disappear.

It’s a feeling his brain can’t seem to process, unsure and confused, and Mark thinks he knows what this is. No, he _does_ know what this is. But it isn’t possible. He’s a cupid and it doesn’t make sense. It’s not in his DNA.

Perhaps, playing human has messed with him, too much. Maybe something is changing in him.

And, as scary as that should be, he finds himself not caring because it’s Donghyuck. Everything is perfect with Donghyuck.

“Mark?” Donghyuck whispers, forcing himself to sit up.

He’s closer this way, leaning into Mark’s space just a little more than usual. His hair is a little roughed up from Mark as he tilts his head, eyes still searching. Mark’s heart clenches as his gaze falls on Mark’s lips. The room suddenly feels a lot hotter than it did. The dizziness that Mark had coming back from HQ feels so much worse, but it feels so much better at the same time.

He wants to reach out and touch him. He wants to lean in and kiss him.

His movements are sluggish as he shifts just a little closer, his hand lifting from his side and—

A ringing cuts through the room. Both of them jolt away from each other, the moment shattered. Donghyuck jumps off the bed and rushes to his jacket to pull out his phone. He glances at the name, then at Mark.

“It’s Renjun,” he says, voice a little hoarse. “I should…”

Mark finds his own voice in the same condition and his throat a little too dry. “Yeah. Answer it. Tell him I say hi.”

Nodding, Donghyuck picks up his jacket, phone still ringing. When he glances at Mark, it looks like he’s about to say something, or maybe forget about the call and come back to bed, but he doesn’t say anything, doesn’t do anything. He casts a small smile and leaves the room.

He hears Donghyuck’s voice say, “Hi, Injunnie,” before the door to his room closes.

Groaning, he collapses back against the bars of his headboard. Eros, what was he thinking? What the Hades was that?

But he knows what it was—knows it a little too well—because he’s seen it. He’s watched it happen over and over and over again for thousands of years. Seen the way people lean into one another, fall for one another, look at each other. He’s watched the way their hearts pound and their stomachs twist and the sweet smiles that grace their faces.

No. Mark knows what this is.

“Fuck,” he breathes. “I’m in love with Donghyuck.”

Only his empty dorm room hears the truth.


End file.
